Heart of the Wounded
by Nocturnal Muse
Summary: The world is ravaged by war. One man with the spirit of a beast is dedicated to thwarting the Fire Lord no matter the cost. When a lone wolf finds a pack, it makes him more dangerous. AU. Actual Rating Older Teen.
1. Chapter 1

Heart of the Wounded - Wolf's Story

Chapter 1

A wolf sat on a hill, watching over the small village without a name. The hill was spattered with a few trees. A forest sprung up after the land leveled out.

The village was widespread for such a tiny area. The huts were small and hastily put together, but they were sturdy enough to hold up to the winds. In front of each hut was something that symbolized the trade of the villagers; a small garden for the farmers, poles and hanging racks for fishermen and hunters, and washing lines supporting clothes for some of the women.

The people went about their daily business. Some of the men and women were at a nearby lake fishing and washing clothes. Other men were about in the forests surrounding the village. The of the men and women were still in the village, either sitting around sharpening weapons and making arrows or practicing their fighting styles.

The members of the village were gathered for one reason: the downfall of Fire Lord Ozai. The common goal was all that was needed for them to live together. The people were from all of the different factions. There were Earth Kingdom rebels, Water Tribe renegades, and even some Fire Nation deserters.

The wolf watched over these people. The wolf was a beautiful creature. His fur was completely black except for an off white patch on his right shoulder. The patch looked like a flower. The wolf's eyes were golden and had an almost humane look to them. The wolf's ears perked up and he turned his head. Quickly he stood, the beginnings of a growl rumbling in his throat.

A man walked up to the wolf. The man was wearing the typical military uniform of the Fire Nation minus the helmet. This allowed his closely cropped dark hair and his dark gray eyes to show. When he saw the wolf's expression, he stopped. The wolf calmed down when he realized who it was.

The wolf sat back down and closed his eyes. A shimmering light surrounded the wolf for a second. The light surrounding the wolf's now shadowed form stretched and morphed. When the light disappeared, a man was sitting where the wolf had just been. This man had wild black hair and the same colored eyes as the wolf counterpart. The man was wearing a simple shirt that was mostly a dark green color with a pale yellow around the neck and down the center. To hold the two halves of the front together were five knotted buttons. His pants might have been white at one time, but they had been turned a permanent gray color. They were patched and the ends were fraying; they had seen better days.

This did not seem to disturb the messenger. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir."

The man who had just been a wolf smiled slightly. "I'm not doing much. Let's talk like men, call me by my name."

"Yes sir, I mean, Wolf."

Wolf's smile widened. Fire Nation soldiers were always so hard to break into informal habits. "So, what do you have to tell me?"

"We were doing what you said to do. One of the others found the floor plans for the temporary palace, just as you wanted. I have it here." The soldier pulled a small pack into view and moved the contents around. He handed a folded sheet of tan colored paper to Wolf.

Wolf took the layout and unfolded it. "You would think that the Fire Lord would have used decent paper for this," he muttered.

"You would think that," the soldier agreed. "What would you like us to do now, sir…I mean, Wolf?"

"Do what you normally do," Wolf didn't look up from the map, but made a shooing gesture towards the soldier. "Keep your eyes and ears open and tell me when something interesting happens."

The Fire Nation soldier bowed slightly. "Is there anything else you would like us to do?"

"Make sure everyone but the normal kitchen staff stay out of the kitchen tomorrow. I'm going to make a visit."

……………

After that, the Fire Nation soldier left to resume his post. Wolf changed back into his canine form and continued watching the affairs of the village until the sun started going down. After a quick meal and a couple orders, Wolf went to sleep. The next morning, he packed a small bag of provisions and headed for the temporary location of the Fire Lord's palace.

It was easily a half-day's journey to the palace if one wanted to hurry. Wolf took his time, and made it to his destination closer toward evening. Walking up to the walls in his wolf form allowed him to get to the secret entrance that probably only the constructors knew about without being seen. Following the map, Wolf traveled under the place, ignoring most of the side tunnels and detours and heading straight for the exit at the kitchen.

When he got there, he silently nudged the exit door open slightly. A young woman was bent over the fire pit, stoking the fire with her back to him. Sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Her eyes and hair were both a dark brown. Her hair was flipped into a bun that was turned upside-down and fountained out. Her outfit was plain, a simple cheongsam that was almost a full skirt with pants underneath. It was red with black trimmings, like the typical Fire Nation servant.

……………

The young woman turned to look. She could have sworn she felt someone watching her, but there was no one. So, she went back to her business. "The water should be ready about now," she muttered to herself. Grabbing a thick cloth, she snatched the pot from out of the fire. She turned and set it the pot on the counter and set about putting leaves in the cups.

"May I talk to you?" a voice asked from beside her.

Startled, the girl dropped everything and shrank away. She turned to face the person who had spoken to her. Before her stood a man. He looked to be in his mid twenties. His hair was dark and unruly, and his golden eyes glimmered. Wary because of his sudden appearance, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Just a passer by. Right now, I don't think I will tell you more. You won't tell anyone someone was here, right?"

"Um…No, not unless you try something. Then, I'll scream as loud as I can."

"Great. So, you work here in the kitchen for the Fire Lord, am I right?"

"Yes, I do."

"What is your name?"

"Jin."

"You weren't originally from here, I would guess."

"You're right. I was from an earth kingdom village. The Fire Lord attacked us, but General Iroh liked my tea. So, I was allowed to live and I was hired to work here."

"You have no reason to like the Fire Lord."

"None at all. Please, don't tell any one," she looked around, making sure no one was listening in, "but I really don't. He's so gruff, and I think he's really evil. To make matters worse, he doesn't even thank me when I serve him tea."

"What would you say if someone were plotting the down fall of that man?"

"Oh, I wish that were the case."

"Do you now?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I was merely wondering. I can use a little help. You see, I have a plan, but if it is to work, I need an inside man… or woman."

"If it's to help get rid of that man, I'll do it. Just…promise me one thing."

"Maybe. What is this one thing?"

"You're only real target is the Fire Lord, right? Any one else who gets in your way, you…you will kill, right? All I want, in exchange for my service, is that you don't hurt Prince Zuko."

"Ho, there's a little princeling? If I can prevent it, I won't hurt him. If he attacks me, I will have no choice. I will fight back. You do understand that?"

"Of course."

The man smiled. "Then, let me tell you about my plan."

……………

As it turned out, Jin was from a small group of ninja from an Earth Kingdom town. Jin was half way to becoming a full-fledged ninja when her clan was attacked. Her clan had sent her away before the attack, but Iroh caught her just outside of it. Iroh didn't know that she was part of the clan that the Fire Nation was attacking, so they sat and had tea, thus the start of her employment to serve tea to the Fire Lord.

Wolf was immensely satisfied with his luck upon finding an already skilled spy, and Jin was so willing to help that he couldn't find anything wrong. So, after explaining his plan and working out a good time frame, he left with a promise to return.

……………

With preparations under way, the only thing left to do was to wait for an opportunity to put them into affect. Wolf went back to the palace once a week, to check up on everything. He set several members of the small village the task of copying the map for everyone.

Slowly, the village became ready for the impending invasion.

Roughly a month and a half after the discovery of the building plan, news came. One of the staked Fire Nation soldiers, the same one that delivered the map, hurried into the camp after nightfall.

He burst into Wolf's hut with no formalities. "Sir, Wolf, we can do it!" he exclaimed.

Wolf looked up at the soldier from where he was sitting. He was in the middle of supper, a half-eaten fish on the table in front of him. "Slow down. You must be tired. Sit." Wolf gestured to the opposite side of the table.

The Fire Nation soldier plopped down, breathing heavily. Wolf pushed a small mug of water towards his informer. When the man could breath normally again, he took it and drank it quickly.

Wolf pushed the remains of the fish towards the edge of the table. "Now, what brings you here? Start from the top."

"I was at my post, like I was supposed to be, like I always am. That's guarding the Fire Lord directly."

Wolf nodded when the Fire Nation soldier paused.

"Well, there was a guest today, and they wanted to bring Fire Lord Ozai's family to the site. It has been a long time since he has been away contemplating the siege of Ba Sing Sei and Omashu, the guest said, and it would do good to keep family close. The Fire Lord thought on this, and finally he said tomorrow. They could come tomorrow if they wanted to come so badly."

"Interesting. But, I don't see how this could benefit us."

"They're going to have a feast in honor of the Royal Family. Everyone will be so full and there will be drinks, so it provides us with a perfect opportunity to strike."

"A feast doesn't really sound like something Ozai would do," Wolf mused quietly.

"He just has to. It's what everyone would do. It is expected."

"That's true," Wolf sat in thought for a minute. He weighed the pros and cons, the state of his force, the possibilities. Wolf stood and looked out the door at the village lights. Finally, he decided.

"We're ready. Let the insiders know that we strike tomorrow. Tell them eat, drink and be merry, so they don't look suspicious, but watch it all the same. The rest of the rebels will come in through the back ways during the feast. Tell Jin, she works in the kitchen, to meet us at the entrance."

"Got it. This will work, I'm sure of it. Thank you sir…Wolf."

"Thank you for the information. Go easy on yourself."

The soldier bowed quickly and left slowly. As he was leaving the village, he heard Wolf's howl. "The wolf's howl will signal the men to arms," the soldier muttered what Wolf had told everyone.

……………

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Chapter 1- END

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Disclaimer: Ok, I know it's at the end of the chapter, but it applies to the whole story. I don't own Avatar, the characters, or most of the locations. Wolf is a character I kinda made up, so…yeah. There we go. Disclaimer is done.

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A/N: Hey there! This is Hidden Demon! Well, I finally got into Avatar. This story was actually a dream that I had, reworked really really bad. It was a tough job getting this story ready to post cuz of comp problems, but I finally did it. Hope you enjoy! Well, I am hoping not to make too many notes after this.

Oh, by the way, the story is rated for future violence. Yes, I am morbid and can't write a single story without harming at least one character.

R&R!

Hidden Demon

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	2. Chapter 2

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 2

"It's just a little farther from here. This is the part where you want to be quiet," Jin put a finger to her lips to enforce her statement.

The rest of the rebellion force nodded. The entire trip through the tunnels under the palace had been pretty quiet, but there was a little bit of chatter, mostly opinions on where Wolf had gone. It would be in all of their best interest if that ended now. Despite the fact that their guide was a girl, they listened quite well to what she said.

Above them, they saw a muffled stream of light and heard voices and laughter. Apparently, some of the Fire Nation guards were still living it up.

Quietly, the rebels walked forward. The noise from above became inaudible. The light disappeared as well. Jin stopped and turned to face the men and women she was leading. "This is the room where we serve meals. This is where we enter. If anyone wants to turn back, now is the only time you have available," Jin spoke in a whisper. She waited to give anyone a chance, but no one took it. "All right. Going up."

Silently, Jin undid the hatch and pushed it up. It opened silently, but it got stuck on a rug over it. Jin braced it up and pulled out a small triangular shaped knife with a circle on the end of a short wrap. The only sound was of ripping cloth before she crawled out.

The rest of the group followed one at a time. Jin shut it when everyone was out. It closed with a dull thunk. The room they had entered was dark. It was impossible to see anything, including each other. Someone lit a torch. The rest lit up almost automatically.

The plan was to break into the fortress after the residents were sleeping off the effects from too much food and drinks. When they were in, they were to go to the room where the Fire Lord slept, and, if possible, capture him and his family. If they resisted, they would die. Any one in the way would also meet the fate of death.

However, what happened was not what anyone in the rebel group had expected. Somewhere along the way, something had happened that threw the whole plan out of whack. Instead of being in a room filled only with tables, they found themselves in a room that had tables stacked along the walls and the entire Fire Nation army that was lodged there.

"Attack!" someone shouted. Both sides decided that was a good idea, and did so.

……………

Things had not gone well for the rebel force. They were out manned and out classed by the trained force of the Fire Nation. Only a few made it out of the massacre and back down into the secret passageway system.

Jin had been the one to re open it and usher those nearest down into it. They now totaled six. Besides her, there was one other woman, one from the Earth Kingdoms. Three of the men were also from the Earth Kingdom, and the last one was one of the Fire Nation insiders who had proven to be loyal to Wolf. All of them were cut or burned in more than one place.

They were now fleeing as fast as they could. Jin had abandoned a direct route and was only trying to get the small group back up to open air.

There was a clamor behind them. It sounded like armor. The group stopped to see if the two people were part of their original group.

"There they are! Get them!" one of the two shouted.

Twin fireballs were shot down the small tunnel at the rag-tag group. One of the Earth Kingdom men stepped forward heavily and part of the wall moved to intercept the fire blasts.

"You guys go ahead. I'll hold them off," the Earthbender ordered.

A rock wall dropped between the two groups. There was a sharp cry.

"Let's go," Jin decided. The group continued on their way. After several twists, they heard armored footsteps approaching. They got ready to fight.

Four Fire Nation soldiers came into view. The one in the lead immediately put his hands up. The other three followed suit. "Please, don't hurt us!"

"We're with you. We're helping Wolf!" another exclaimed.

The group Jin was leading relaxed. Jin scrutinized the four for a moment. "Let's go."

Traveling underground distorted the time. It could have been hours that passed or only minutes. Eventually, they found an exit. A side door opened out into a spinney bush that poked through clothing. As the group passed through that, they found themselves out side of the palace, but still within the wall. It was night, but a quarter moon gave off enough light to see.

"To the gate. We can make it," Jin nodded her head with the quick decision. They all hurried off in the direction Jin went.

However, when they got to the way out, the bridge was up. "Oh, no. Now what do we do?" Jin muttered as she pushed at the gate to no avail.

"Leave that to me!"

Jin looked up to see Wolf in the tower. Wolf waved down and then disappeared. Within a minute, the drawbridge was lowering. As soon as it started lowering, it dropped quickly.

Wolf appeared back over the edge. He called down, "You guys go back to the village. Just incase they were taking prisoners, leave the village and go to the second spot. Lay low for a while. I'll catch up in a few days."

"All right!" Jin called back.

The remaining rebels hurried across the bridge. They continued at a fast pace until the castle was out of sight.

……………

Wolf watched the remainder of his group get a good distance away. Satisfied that they would be safe, he started working to get the drawbridge up. It was hard work but he finally got it up. After latching it into place, he stood for a while catching his breath.

Wolf heard a sharp twang. He had no time to react. An arrow shot into the wall right next to his ear. Wolf tried to duck, but found out that the arrow had got his shirt. Finding it difficult to pull the arrow out, Wolf quickly undid the button replicas and slipped out of it. Just as he dove to the ground, several more arrows hit the wall.

Wolf transformed. The black wolf jumped out of the tower and onto the wall edge. He bolted down the stairs, dodging arrows. Near the end of the stairs, Wolf slid to a stop. A large burly fire nation guard stood in front of him at the bottom. This man was huge. He hardly seemed like a man. He couldn't even fit into the largest uniform.

Wolf turned. He started running back up the stairs. Back at the top, Wolf spotted an archer with the bow pointed towards him.

Wolf was ready to take on the archer. He crouched down and went to jump. But someone grabbed his back leg and held him planted. Wolf turned with a snarl and scratched at the giant man. The big man howled and let go. Wolf prepared to leap at the archer again, but the big man had recovered.

With an inhuman shout, the big man threw himself at Wolf. Wolf moved off to one side, but the stairway was too small. The giant wrapped both arms around Wolf's mid section and threw him into the wall. Wolf hit it hard and as he fell to the ground, he lost consciousness.

……………

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Chapter 2- END

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A/N: Ok, well, I forgot this in the last chapter. After watching Tales of Ba Sing Sei, I liked Jin. But, she "pulled a ninja" as I say, and vanished after that episode. So, that's basically where the idea I had for her came from. I hope I didn't do really bad on that.

Ok, I wanted to say this, but didn't feel like updating it in the first chapter. What Wolf does sounds a lot like Wolfs Rain, and even Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. That last bit wasn't intentional! I had the dream a good week before Zelda came out. I realized the Wolfs Rain similarity because I was rewatching it for the first time in at least a year, so it doesn't make any sense for me to be copying it. So, sorry for the similarity, but that's how the dream went.

R&R!

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	3. Chapter 3

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 3

"Sir, the Fire Lord wishes to speak with you," someone said from the door. Moltov looked up groggily from his pillow and saw a soldier standing at the door.

Moltov groaned quietly. He was getting used to being woken up at odd times; ever since Ozai had been crowned, he had developed weird sleeping habits. Because Moltov was now an official advisor –probably the only one Ozai could truly trust- he was getting dragged into the sleeping pattern as well.

"One minute. I'll be right there," Moltov muttered. It was a warm summer's night, so he had fallen asleep with a thin blanket over his shoulders, a light pair of pants, and that was it. Once the soldier had left, Moltov looked for a shirt that wasn't too badly wrinkled. "Must make myself presentable for the Lord," he whispered sarcastically to himself under his breath.

He was surprised to be called so quickly. Ozai had been livid. The Fire Lord had been laying plans against a small nation that was withholding several troops of Earthbenders. They were at the base of a dam, and Ozai had ordered to have it destroyed. No more Earthbenders. Moltov had spoken up, saying that it wasn't a good idea. Too many innocents would be killed. Ozai had countered saying that they weren't innocents because they were lodging enemies. Moltov stuck with his idea that they shouldn't do that. Ozai had countered, "I am keeping my troops alive by doing this. If you don't want to deal with war, leave." That was that. Moltov left, figuring he could finally get some sleep.

Finding a shirt that was suitable, he pulled it on. Moltov ran a hand through his hair to make it look a little less wild, _like it does any good_, in attempts to look a little more presentable, before leaving his room. He walked briskly down the hall, unwilling to let Ozai get even angrier with him for being too late. Since his new room was closer to the audience chamber, the trip was quick. Moltov made it to the throne room in minutes and was barely breathing hard.

He knocked on the audience chamber doors. "Open. I, Moltov, have come at the behest of the Fire Lord Ozai." Ridiculous, the kind of formality you had to use when your best friend had suddenly become a ruler.

The doors opened slowly. Moltov walked into the room and the doors shut behind him. Something didn't feel quite right. Moltov walked forward cautiously.

The Fire Lord smiled his now-typical formal smile of greeting. "Wonderful to see you, Moltov." Then, he nodded slightly.

Despite his alerted senses, Moltov did not feel the presence of the men who grabbed his arms. He tried fighting back, but the two had a firm grip that he couldn't break. They put shackles on his wrists and held tightly to his upper arms.

Dejected, Moltov let his head droop slightly. He looked up at the Fire Lord, who was watching with a satisfied look on his face.

"What is this?" Moltov demanded.

"I'm letting you go, Moltov. Cutting you off," Ozai replied quietly, voice calm, the light smile still there.

Moltov stared at him with a gaze full of confusion. "Huh? Why?"

Ozai's smile took on a cruel, please edge. He raised one hand and gestured someone forward.

Moltov heard someone behind him step forward, but he couldn't twist around enough to see who it was. "What did I do, Ozai?" Moltov insisted.

He got no answer.

He felt cold steel against his back. The shirt that he had worked so hard to find only minutes before was slashed cleanly. A sinking feeling filled Moltov. Then, there was a loud sizzling sound. Moltov gasped and closed his eyes against the sudden pain that had blossomed in his shoulder. He could smell burning flesh and was positive that is was his.

"It has many other names, but the most common one is aconite, the six petaled flower. This is what signifies that you, Moltov, are a traitor."

"A traitor?" Moltov asked weakly.

"It marks you as an outcast of the Fire Nation. This is just a precaution, because I don't think that you will live much longer after this."

"What?" Moltov asked. He was getting even more confused, and the fog of pain wasn't helping matters any.

"Do it," Ozai ordered.

A chant was struck up. There were easily twelve other people in the room that Moltov hadn't been able to tell were there, and they all started chanting in a strange language that he had never heard. Moltov started to feel very strange. The room started rocking, but his feet were firmly planted. The sensation made him feel sick, so he closed his eyes. There was a quiet popping noise, and then, an entirely different feeling.

Cautiously, Moltov opened his eyes. He was shocked to discover that he was no longer in the audience chamber of the Fire Lord. It appeared that he was outside in a jungle-like area. The air was very thin, which went against the idea of a jungle. His chest felt heavy and breathing seemed unnatural. The worst part was that it was completely silent. There were no birds, no bugs, no rustling leaves, not even a growl to signify that a predator was near. Nothing, but an emptiness of sound.

"Come on. Let's get this over with quickly." Moltov was startled to hear the voice of someone, and was surprised to find that both of the men who had a hold of him were still there.

The two men started to walk forward. Moltov braced himself and refused to move.

"Come on, move," the one on his left growled.

"Where are we?" Moltov asked.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go."

Still maintaining a strong grip on the captive's arm with one hand, the man let go with the other and shoved Moltov with the other. He hit directly where the brand had been seared into the skin. With a yelp of pain –that, oddly enough, didn't echo- Moltov stumbled forward.

Moltov muttered a few obscenities under his breath, but as the men started moving, he reluctantly moved with them.

"What is this?" a voice whispered. It was breathless, barely more than a ripple of wind. Moltov looked around to see the source of the voice, and saw several small pairs of eyes.

"It looks like humans," a bodiless voice replied. It was of the same quality as the other voice, only a little more high pitched.

"Mm, human. We haven't had a decent meal in eons," a third voice mused.

"You will not eat us," the man on Moltov's right declared. He pulled out a small pendant and held it high.

The voices shrieked and scurried away. There were no more eyes and the silence descended once more.

"Where are we?" Moltov asked again, now more bewildered than anything else.

"The spirit world."

"The spirit world," Moltov repeated quietly to himself. "Why?"

"The Fire Lord ordered us not to tell you."

The three traveled for a long time. On the natural plane, it felt like several days. In the spirit realm, time was irrelevant. The scenery changed only slightly over the entire time. The jungle turned into more of a forest. Moltov wondered why he wasn't thirsty or hungry, and was immediately reminded that he was in the spirit world. Why should spirits eat or drink?

Time passed. The world dimmed slowly. The forest disappeared. Moltov looked around.

Suddenly, a large, silver shape loomed in front of the trio. The face looked like an animal, with a long muzzle under the deep purple eyes, a furry ring around the face, and pointed animalistic ears. The body was huge, easily twice as big as a saber-toothed-moose-lion, and covered in the same fur-like appearance as the face. The entire form shone like a moon amidst the blackness.

"What are you doing here, humans? This is not your realm," the spirit murmured. The voice was soft, though threatening, and as airy as the ones before.

The man on the right spoke. "We have come at the behest of the new Fire Lord, Lord Ozai. He wishes to make a pact with you, in exchange for…"

"A pact with the spirits?" the spirit laughed. "What can humans offer us?"

"For starters, this," the pendant was pulled out once again.

The spirit looked at it with a look of disdain. "That is how you got in here so far. It means little to us."

"Also, Fire Lord Ozai wishes to honor you with a yearly sacrifice and a celebration in your honor."

"What is it that this Lord wishes to have us do? It must be grand to go to such extreme measures."

"He wishes for you to take this one." With that, Moltov was prodded forward slightly. He looked down, so he wasn't blinded by the brilliance.

"Take?" the spirit murmured. "This will take some deliberation. I will send this one back to you with my decision. Tell your Lord his offer is accepted."

"Thank you, Great Spirit," both of the men bowed their heads. They turned and left.

"What do they mean by 'take'?" Moltov asked quietly.

"You would not understand, unversed one."

Moltov disliked that answer, but couldn't figure out how to dispute it with something as different from him.

"Look up at me, human." Moltov looked up at the spirit. "Tell me, do you fear me?"

Moltov looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, I do not."

The spirit stood and turned as if to leave. In a flash, it turned and snapped at the air just inches in front of Moltov's face. He didn't flinch, he only blinked twice.

The spirit backed off. "You did not lie. Foolish human. Do you fear any of the gods, even your own?"

"I do not."

"If you fear not spirits nor gods, what is it that you fear?"

"I fear loosing my freedom. It is the only thing I have, and I fear loosing it."

"An interesting answer." The spirit turned around in a circle before settling down. "I believe I have found you to be interesting, human. Tell me your name."

"My name is Moltov."

"Moltov, I am willing to make a deal with you. I have no interest in what goes on in the human's world. However, the Fire Lord has intruded upon a truce made many, many years ago. He deserves to be punished. He has done you some great harm, has he not?"

Moltov looked down, almost over his shoulder. "He has."

"Our goal is the same. I will aid you in the completion of this goal. Will you accept?"

"Yes, of course."

The spirit creature looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "This may entail the confrontation of what you fear."

"I will face it to settle my score."

"Very well." The spirit let out a loud howl. A second spirit materialized from the darkness. This one seemed the opposite of the first, although it looked very similar. It seemed to be one with the darkness, with obsidian black fur. Its eyes glowed a deep blue color that the sky could never compete with. The features of the face were more rounded. It was also much smaller, able to look down on Moltov from only a couple heads distance.

"Mother Oka, I am pleased to be at your service," the spirit rumbled.

"Ma Lir, you answered quickly. I confess myself surprised. What do you think of this human?"

The new spirit looked at Moltov and started sniffing. "It is a human. What is it doing here?"

"He was one of the ones who broke the treaty, but he is not at fault. It was an order that he be brought here by his Lord."

"What does this have to do with me, Mother Oka?"

"You were set to punish any who break the sacred treaty, were you not, Ma Lir?"

"A long time ago, back when the treaty was forged, yes."

"You have gotten lazy, Ma Lir."

"I believed that the ancient treaty would never be broken. It has been so long, Mother…"

"You _have_ gotten lazy. This human will be your host so that you may travel to the human realm and fulfil your duty."

"This human?" the spirit half-whined.

"Yes. He seeks the same thing that you do."

"Well, then, it can't be helped. Mother Oka, I will not let you down."

"I wish you the best of luck Ma Lir, and Human Moltov. May you be one with the moon."

"The moon…" Moltov whispered. A Firebender looses the potency of the flame as the night drew near. It would be the perfect punishment. "I see."

"I do not believe that this lord will keep his promise. So, I shall not keep mine," Oka murmured thoughtfully.

"Kneel before me Human Moltov," the spirit Ma Lir ordered harshly. The spirit walked closer to where Moltov was standing onto an outcropping rock. Moltov walked over to where Ma Lir stood and knelt. The spirit had shrunken so that he was roughly the size of the human.

Quieter this time, with a more soothing voice, Ma Lir ordered, "Bow you head and close your eyes."

Moltov obeyed. He felt the rough paws of the spirit walk onto his arms. Soft fur touched his forehead as the spirit settled it's own head against his. Slowly, a warm glow seeped into Moltov's body. It spread through every inch, slowly consuming him. When he was full to bursting, it suddenly dissipated.

Moltov opened his eyes to examine what had been done. Nothing seemed to have happened.

Moltov's skin prickled before a horrible pain coursed through his body. He saw a flash of red and white before his eyes before blacking out completely.

……………

Time passed. That was all the human part knew. Worlds passed beneath the paws of the black beast, but the human half was left unaware. There was nothing but the promise of eternity in darkness. Until one day, he was called.

"Spirit inside the wolf…"

His mind stirred.

"Spirit inside the wolf…"

The word wolf echoed throughout his mind. Slowly, his eyes opened. There was a small amount of light from a candle. The dim light was still enough to blind him. He slowly let his eyes focus and adjust.

There was confusion. The human half of the wolf had been gone from his world for so long, he had forgotten. His mind was scrambled and the thoughts made no sense. He was unsure where he was, who he was with, even his own name and identity. There was an odd feeling cloth around him. It was slightly uncomfortable but soothing. The thought was confusing.

A man was seated before him. He had dark tan skin and black hair. His eyes were dark and full of wisdom. There were odd colored rocks hanging from his ears. He wore clothing that had never before been seen in this land.

Instinct reacted. The human half of the wolf pushed the man away. He bolted into a corner of the room and huddled there. It was then that he realized that he wasn't a beast. He studied his hand.

There was laughter. It was deep and sinister. A glance at the odd stranger showed that he wasn't the one laughing. Looking all around, there was no one.

"Are you doing all right, spirit inside the wolf?"

The words made sense, but barely. He tried figuring them out. _The spirit in the wolf…me_. _Am I doing all right? All right is good…Am I good._ Slowly, he shook his head.

"What is your name?"

_Name? _

_That's what people call you, moron_, the voice that had been laughing at him earlier replied.

Again, the spirit inside the wolf shook his head.

"You cannot remember your name?"

This time, he nodded.

"To make life simple, may I refer to you by your spirit animal?"

Another nod.

"Young Wolf, I do not know what has happened to you. I am a shaman. Do you understand that?"

Wolf shook his head.

"Do you understand the word 'guru'?"

Again, Wolf responded negatively.

"Do you understand spirits?"

Wolf looked down. The voice spoke. _You do understand spirits. I can help you with that._ Slowly, he nodded yes.

"A guru works with the flow of spiritual energy in humans. They rely heavily on chakra points, the points where energy gathers. This makes sense?"

Surprisingly for Wolf, it did. He nodded.

"A shaman relies on the spirituality in nature. We harmonize with living creatures and the earth."

"I…I think I…understand…now," Wolf spoke for the first time. His throat was dry, and speaking seemed foreign, so it was difficult.

The shaman handed him a bowl of water. Wolf grabbed for it, but was unable to hold onto it. The bowl slipped through his fingers and landed on the ground. The bowl was made of thick clay, so it didn't break, but the contents drained out.

The shaman smiled slightly. "You are not used to fingers anymore." He picked up the bowl and refilled it. He motioned Wolf over. Cautiously, Wolf crawled towards the shaman. He sniffed at the water, making sure it wasn't laced with anything. How he would be able to tell, he couldn't figure out. He leaned forward so that he could lap up the water, but the shaman moved it.

"You will drink it how we, as humans, drink."

Wolf unconsciously employed the beaten puppy look and sat where he was.

"Turn and you will be able to quench your thirst."

With a suspicious look, Wolf turned. The shaman wrapped his arm around and lifted the bowl to Wolf's lips from behind. With the first taste of the clear water, Wolf was eager for more. His hands came up and covered the bowl. He drank deeply until the bowl was empty. He dropped his hands and the shaman pulled the bowl away. Wolf turned and looked at the man expectantly.

"Do you want more?"

Wolf nodded.

The shaman filled the bowl back up and handed it to Wolf. Wolf tried to wrap his hands around the bowl, but the muscles were too weak from lack of use that he couldn't support it on his own. The shaman helped Wolf lift the bowl so that he could drink again.

When he was finished with the second bowl, Wolf was satisfied.

_Give thanks for that,_ the voice demanded.

"Th…thank you," Wolf muttered.

"You are welcome. I think I shall leave you on your own for a little bit."

The shaman stood to leave, but Wolf grabbed his pants leg.

"I…have…question."

The shaman knelt back down beside Wolf. "You have a question? What is it?"

"There's…a…a voice…in…" momentarily confused again, Wolf could do nothing but brush his hand across his forehead.

"There is a voice inside your mind?" the shaman asked for clarification.

Wolf nodded.

"That is the spirit that has possessed you. I can sense no evil will towards you from it, and I cannot remove it from you. You will need to learn how to live with it as one."

"As…one," Wolf repeated quietly and thoughtfully.

"That is correct. I can leave now?"

Wolf seemed to be lost in thought.

The shaman stood and made to leave. When he got to the door, he heard Wolf's quiet voice ask softly, "name?"

"My name? My name is Kotma."

"Shaman…Kotma…" Wolf mused. He pronounced the words strangely, but the point got across.

The shaman smiled slightly. "Very good. Now, good night."

"Good…night."

The shaman left the room. All was quiet save the flickering of the candle flame.

_I don't like that shaman guy. He seems too nice. He has the patience of a human parent. I could eat him for breakfast._

"No, spirit," Wolf said aloud, hoping the spirit knew he was talking to it. "Don't eat."

_That's what you are saying now. But, it isn't like you always get a say in the matter._

A sharp sudden pain over powered Wolf's body. The Wolf Spirit was laughing then there was darkness once more.

……………

Wolf spent the following weeks in constant struggle against the Wolf Spirit. At times, he would be in his human body. Those were times he felt at home and most comfortable. Other times, he would be in the furry wolf body. He knew that the Wolf Spirit was also able to have control over both bodies because the shaman would sometimes tell him that he seemed different and his eyes were blue. When the Wolf Spirit was in charge of the body, Wolf was thrust into the darkness. He hated the darkness with a passion.

The shaman always seemed to be around. He provided food and water, and even some mild conversations. Sometimes, mostly when Wolf was a beast, the shaman would talk through the door. Kotma told stories often. Wolf barely remembered them from day to day, but he enjoyed them all the same. They were tales of life, tales of nature, and stories of animals and beasts. There were gods that existed only for those that were one with nature.

The Wolf Spirit laughed at the stories. He said that he would eat the shaman's gods. Wolf would ask if the spirit were always hungry. He insisted on eating anything that he didn't like.

"What is the spirit's name?" Wolf asked one day after Kotma had told one of the stories. He was sitting in the room with Wolf. Wolf lay on the bed, watching the shaman from above.

"I do not know the name of your spirit. It is a strange spirit, one I do not know."

"If…if I know the spirits name, do you think I could control him?"

"You can never control a spirit. They are free from any shackle. However, if you knew his name, he might compromise with you."

"I…I think I want to compromise with him."

"It will be tough."

"Damn right it will be," Wolf growled. The shaman turned to see the Wolf Spirit staring at him with the liquid blue hues. Kotma looked at the wolf calmly.

The wolf leapt at the shaman. Kotma stood quickly and brushed the wolf's attack aside. The wolf landed on the ground and stood still, growling. It bowed its head suddenly. When it looked up, it had golden eyes. Wolf whined.

"You need to know how to switch forms. There are a couple ways that I know of. Right now, you can best use the physical idea. Come here."

The wolf plodded over to Kotma. The shaman knelt by the wolf. "There is a small area right under the last ribs." The shaman ran two fingers up and down the wolf's ribs and stopped at the last ones. "This soft spot has special properties for one such as you." Kotma pressed diagonally under the rib.

Wolf yelped with the sudden pain and collapsed on the ground. He continued to whimper. Then, he realized he was human again.

"Control," Wolf mumbled. "I need control…I…I need to face that spirit…I need to talk to him."

"Yes, but not today. I am unsure how that can be arranged. Someone I know is coming soon to see you."

Wolf nodded.

"He will know?"

"Maybe."

……………

It turned out that Kotma's friend did have an answer. It was contained in an ancient language that only he could read, but would pass on the information to Kotma for a small price.

"If you let me watch the outcome and study this wolf, I will be pleased to share the information with you."

Kotma introduced his friend to Wolf. Wolf was slightly mistrustful. After exhibiting his transformation, Kotma's friend dubbed Wolf a 'freak of nature'.

"I don't like that," Wolf muttered.

_I can eat him too. He'd be a nice nibble before that shaman, _the Wolf Spirit decided. He was starting to take that line as more of a joke than something serious, because it slightly irritated the human.

"You know of the enforced transformation. That is the first step. If we force the transformation, and continue forcing him to switch, it might link the human spirit with the wolf spirit."

"Might," Wolf caught and brought it to their attention.

"Yes. I have heard that it has never been tried in my lifetime. You are different than any other."

This was disappointing to Wolf. There was a slim chance that things would work. The pain of changing was intense, and they were going to make it happen again and again. "I'll try it."

"Splendid."

The two shamans collected herbs and incense. They had Wolf lay on a mat and set candles up around him. The near proximity of the fire reminded him of something that he couldn't place.

Kotma's friend started chanting something in an ancient language. Wolf felt extremely edgy and uncomfortable. This seemed almost familiar.

"Do it now," Kotma's friend whispered.

Kotma jabbed his fingers into the spot. Wolf's vision wavered as his body changed. The transformation finished but started back the other way. Once there, it started to change again. The world started to sway and fuzz. Wolf closed his eyes, but the sensation wouldn't go away. His body kept switching back and forth between human and animal. Wolf thought he was going to die if he changed one more time. Then, it all stopped.

Wolf opened his eyes. The world was bathed in pale moonlight. He was sitting on a moss-covered rock in the middle of a slightly bumpy green landscape. Off to one side, he could see the largest full moon ever just coming over the horizon.

"Welcome to my land, human."

Wolf looked straight ahead and saw the black wolf spirit.

"Is this where you go when I am…" Wolf couldn't find the words to express what happened.

"Yes, this is my home."

"I like your home."

"Do you want it? I'll give it to you for eternity if you let me out."

Wolf shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why?"

"There's something I need to do. I can't remember what that is."

The Wolf Spirit laughed. Wolf's eyebrows furrowed. There was something…

"Give it back," Wolf demanded.

The Wolf Spirit stopped laughing. "Give what back?"

"My mind. My memory. Whatever it is that you took when we became one. Please, give it back."

"I'll trade you. Your mind for your freedom."

Wolf shook his head then paused. "Not back to the darkness. Wait…" Wolf whispered, "You already have my freedom."

The Wolf Spirit growled. "What?"

"You have my freedom already. You can't take what I don't have, and you already do."

"Damn it, you're right. I take it…"

"No, I accept."

The wolf spirit growled. He glowed a soft pale light, just like the moon. The light fell off of the wolf like fireflies and flew to Wolf. They landed on his forehead and absorbed through his skin. Wolf remembered so many things all at once that he was unable to sort them out.

"There. Your mind, thoughts, memories. They are yours. Now it is my turn to be free." The Wolf Spirit turned to leave.

"Wait Ma Lir." The wolf froze. "You have been restless here, unable to sleep."

"You know my name?"

"I remember it now. Oka, the mother goddess, said it. She said that you were lazy."

Ma Lir growled. "What's your point. I'm on patrol now, I can't just quit. I need to get this over with so that I can go back home."

"Ma Lir, I will make a deal with you. You can stay here, sleep here, be as lazy as you want. I will take care of your mission for you. Just allow me to change freely. That's all I ask."

Ma Lir paused contemplating the human. "What if I refuse."

"We will stay here forever. Neither of us will sleep, neither of us will leave."

"Sounds boring."

"Yes, it does."

"I think I will accept your deal. You get me the Fire Lord's head, I let you use my spirit form. And I get to stay here and sleep finally?"

"That's the deal."

"I accept."

The moon and the land dissipated. Wolf jolted awake. He sat up and looked around. The candles that had surrounded him had all burnt out. Kotma was leaning against the wall, asleep. The other shaman was no where to be seen.

A deep pain filled his head. Wolf closed his eyes. _I'd sleep now, if I were you. The worst is yet to come, _Ma Lir's voice echoed, shrinking into the distance. Grudgingly, Wolf moved to the bed and fell asleep.

……………

Wolf woke up, angered by the dream. His body was uncomfortable, but his mind was slightly hazy so he was unable to figure out why.

"No," he told himself. "It's not a dream and it's not a nightmare. Dreams and nightmares do not exist, and never will. This came from the past, so it has already happened. So, it is a remembrance of the past, or a reflection."

That decided, Wolf faded back into his sleep.

……………

……………

Chapter 3

……………

……………

A/N: Ok, Last one for a while, I promise! Incase this was a little confusing for people, I will explain. Uh, this is basically what Wolf had to go through. Not fun, I know. Poor Wolf. But the drastic change in his personality was because he kinda got brain washed, but not really. It was like he was reborn, or something. Any more questions, you can ask.

Another thing, especially about this chapter. I know in Avatar, Zuko was there when his father ascended the throne. Well, that is one of the biggest things that makes this an AU. I don't know why I had it set up this way, but there are some other things that I changed a little which will become more apparent in the next couple of chapters.

Ok, I'm done talking.

Again R&R Please!


	4. Chapter 4

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 4

Wolf opened his eyes. It was mostly dark, which made him feel slightly better for a moment, until he realized fully what it meant. A growl rumbled deep in his throat. As he adjusted to his surroundings, Wolf discovered that he was being forced into a standing position by two iron bangles attached to chains, still in his wolf form.

Wolf tried pulling at the chains. _No weak points_, his human mind determined. He tried twisting around, but with the first swivel, decided that it would hurt more to fall at this point. It was best to keep standing in a tense form to keep from falling.

Several people walked around somewhere near. Wolf heard their footsteps and his ears perked toward the sound. Most of them stopped, but a set came closer and stopped in front of the door.

"Leave me," a deep voice commanded.

Wolf snarled. He knew that voice. The door opened. A figure was outlined in light. That figure walked into the room. With a simple movement, the person created a small flame and put it to a small indentation in the wall. A trail of oil in the crevice sprang to life, illuminating the entire room.

Before the captive wolf was a man. His hair was long despite being held in a small bun on the top of his head, and merged with a neatly trimmed beard. It was dark and streaked with silver. His eyes were narrowed so that he had a perpetual look of disdain. The irises were the deepest fiery gold Wolf had ever seen. He wore highly well kept armor that was red and black, with golden trim.

"So, spirit, what do I owe the honor of your visit?" the man asked quietly. He strode around the snarling wolf. Wolf followed with his eyes, turning his head as much as possible so as not to loose sight.

The man made a complete circle around Wolf and stopped. Wolf's wolf form standing on two legs was almost as tall as the man was. As the man approached, Wolf started growling again.

"Let's have you talk to me. Using human words," the man said in a suggestive tone. His hand reached out and pushed under Wolf's ribs.

With a small whine, Wolf fell forward and was suddenly human again. Panting for breath, Wolf glared up at the man. The transformation was usually mildly painful, but Wolf had gotten used to it. Being forced into it was ten times more agonizing. He stood slowly as he regained his breath. When he had fully stood, he launched himself at the man.

The man took several steps back.

"Let's talk, shall we? Let's start with a question. Who are you?"

"Come on now, Ozai. You should know that one," Wolf hissed.

"It couldn't be." The Fire Lord had made a full trip to stand at Wolf's back. "What's this?" Ozai brushed his hand over the flower brand on Wolf's shoulder. Despite the fact that he was a Firebender, his hands were icy cold as the rested right around the bottom corner. A small chuckle echoed in the room. "Aconite? You really are the one."

Wolf growled and tried jerking out of his chains.

"I thought you would be dead by now. A life without me should have meant death for you."

"Don't flatter yourself. I respected your position and your friendship, that was all."

"I see. So, all of these long years, you have spent coming to seek your revenge on me for turning you into a beast." Ozai started striding leisurely around the room.

"I have questions for you too. Did you know that practice that turned me into a wolf was forbidden?"

"I am a king. Why should anything be forbidden?"

"Answer me!"

"Yes, I knew it was forbidden."

"Another question. Your father, he didn't die of natural causes, like every one said, did he?"

"That is a question I will leave you to answer on your own. You know me well enough to."

"You…"

The fire lord cut him off. "Now, I will ask you questions. I think you will answer them."

"I doubt it."

The Fire Lord had Wolf's back again. He took a couple steps back. He was quiet for a minute, then, "Are you the one instigating this pathetic excuse for a revolt?"

"I refuse to answer."

Wolf heard a sharp crackle of flames and a whoosh of air. A sharp pain seared a line across his back. The flame whip sliced open the skin and burned it at the same time.

"You might want to reconsider that answer," Ozai laughed. "I have some of the men who partook of this…revolt? Or rather, the attempt. Maybe they will talk better."

"Yes, I am the leader of this revolt. Don't pester any of the others. They don't know anything."

"I wouldn't be so sure. How about where you are hiding out right now?"

"_That_ I won't tell you. I'm not going to endanger anyone."

Wolf felt the whip hit again.

"How noble. How very sickening. Do you really think that I will take that as an answer? You were once one of us, you still are. You would much rather save your own skin than that of some other element."

Wolf winced at the thought he knew he was going to say. What hurt was the idea that he was intentionally going to go through with it. "No. I wouldn't. Because of that, you can't make me tell you anything."

The whip licked out again. Wolf whimpered quietly.

"Are you sure?"

Wolf nodded his head. "Yes."

The flame whip hit again.

Wolf bit his lip against the pain. _I will prove him wrong._ The barrage continued. Wolf could feel the pain taking over his mind. Thought started to loose meaning.

"You are a stubborn beast. Any answers I get from you now will probably be insensible or false."

Ozai walked around to glance at Wolf's face. "Make life easy for yourself, Moltov. It would be in your best interest."

"You should just kill me now. It would be in _your_ best interest."

The fire lord laughed. "That's just like you." He turned serious suddenly and kicked. His foot connected perfectly at Wolf's gut. "Stubborn to the core." The Fire Lord paused for another second, a cruel smile covering his face. "I made the point of retrieving your shirt for you. Let me return it." Ozai wrapped the now tattered shirt around Wolf's shoulders. The cloth rubbed against the fresh wounds, making them burn fiercer than they were.

With that, Ozai strode out of the room and the door shut. Wolf was left gratefully alone, gasping for air and being absorbed by the cloud of pain.

……………

……………

Chapter 4 - END

……………

……………


	5. Chapter 5

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 5

Wolf was slowly brought into wakefulness. He could hear something echoing in the walls. It was a voice that slowly became clearer.

"Leaves from the vine…"

_It's a song_, he realized.

"Falling so slow…"

_I know it. But…I must be dead._

"Like fragile tiny shells…"

_Because no one ever sang that song for me while it could have been sung._

"Floating in the foam…"

And no one would sing it for me now…

"Little soldier boy…"

_It always used to have a happier beat_.

"Come marching home…"

_I really don't want to die here. _

"Brave soldier boy…"

_That's pathetic._

"Comes marching home."

The song was interrupted. "What are you doing here?"

"I would like to see the prisoner."

"Fire Lord Ozai said that no one may enter."

"Such loyalty. But he told me I was to see to the condition of the prisoner and to see if I could get him to talk."

"The Fire Lord said that none may enter."

There was a loud clang and a thud. A strangled cry followed by another thud. Jingling keys. Then the door opened.

Wolf squinted to see who it was. All he knew was that it was an old man who was short and round.

"We must hurry," the old man stated. He searched the chains around Wolf's wrists, but found no keyhole. "This may hurt a little."

The old man grabbed the iron shackle tightly. Slowly, the iron began to glow a bright orange. The heat seared the skin it held. The old man pulled at the red bangle and it pulled apart. He did the same to the other one. Wolf stumbled forward.

"Come," the old man helped Wolf remain on his feet. "There is not much time. We need to get out of here as fast as we can."

The old man hurried out of the room, Wolf right at his heels. Wolf slipped into the shirt. Upon exiting the room, Wolf skirted around two Fire Nation guards that were lying sprawled on the floor. Both had large depressions in their helmets.

The old man led Wolf in a confusing mix of twists and turns. Wolf occupied himself with pulling the short sleeves off of his shirt and using them to wrap his blistering wrists. After several minutes, they came to a place Wolf was vaguely familiar with, the kitchen. The old man opened the secret passage that led to the underground corridor and urged Wolf through before following, closing the opening before pressing onwards.

The two stood waiting for a minute so that they both had mostly caught their breaths.

"We should be good for now. Let us continue on our way," the old man suggested.

Wolf nodded and they continued at a slower pace. After a long way of silence, Wolf asked, "Why are you helping me?"

"Am I not allowed to help my younger brother?"

Wolf stopped walking with shock. "Iroh?"

The old man stopped and turned to face Wolf with a small chuckle. "You did not recognize me, Moltov?"

"No. The years have not been kind to you."

"And they have been kind to you?"

"No, not really."

Iroh nodded before continuing on his way. Wolf, unconsciously, followed.

"Where will we be heading after we are away?" Iroh ventured.

"You say 'we'?"

"Yes, I would like to stay with you. Ozai will not be happy when he discovers you have escaped, and I do not feel any should feel his wrath but the one who helped you."

"So nice of you to ask. It's all right though. In return for helping me, you can stay at my place. Its in Ba Sing Se."

"I know the look of that city well."

"Really."

"Yes. I laid siege to that place for 600 days. There is a reason it is called Ba Sing Se."

Wolf nodded. He had forgotten that.

"The rest of the way requires silence," Iroh informed.

Again, Wolf nodded. "I know."

……………

Getting into Ba Sing Sei was a lot easier than getting out of the Fire Lord's palace. The guard knew Wolf and a simple bribe for waking him in the middle of the night placated him enough to get him to open the gates. Wolf and Iroh slunk around in the shadows to avoid the eyes of the town watchmen. Mid way through the poor section of the town, Wolf stopped at a small building.

"Do you have a knife?" he murmured.

"Cautious, are we?" Iroh asked, handing the desired tool over.

"Just a little. I didn't know how long I would be away. I haven't been inside for at least half a year." Wolf slipped the knife in a crack in the door and jerked it up. He pushed the door open and walked inside. A pair of rats scampered out through a small crack in the wall. Wolf held the door open for Iroh as he entered. "Welcome home."

"Home" was a small, cheaply made building. The walls had gaps and the ceiling leaked when it rained. Right now, stars could be seen through the holes. The place had a single wall in the inside, separating a bedroom from everywhere else. Off to one side of the door was a set of patchy, hastily made cabinets, a cold box that looked to have long since fell out of practice being cold, and a small fire pit. On the opposite side, still using the door as a divider, was an odd thing Iroh had never seen. It resembled a stretched out chair with padding over it. Nothing could be seen past it. The entire floor was covered with boxes and clutter.

"This is where you live?" Iroh asked.

"Sometimes. I got it cheap off of some old guy. For some reason, it was one of his last wills that it should go to me. I left it as he had it. That includes the clutter."

Iroh stepped into the building cautiously. An urge to clean came over him.

"I like it though. It makes it more home-ish and less…dungeon-ey?" Wolf smiled weakly. He wondered if dungeon-ey worked to convey his feelings of the place.

"If I may ask, what is that?" Iroh asked, pointing to the odd chair.

"My pride and joy." Wolf went to stand beside it and gestured Iroh over. On the far side of the strange chair was a small table with a semi-moldy cushion.

"That's the only thing in here that is worth stealing. Some crazy inventor had it. One of his creations, I think. Any way, it took up too much room, so…I took it."

"Did he say he had to much room, or did you decide that on your own."

Wolf by passed the question. "He called it a couch. Now, ordinarily, couches are only seats for more than one person. This however," Wolf pulled a hidden switch on the side and the back fell over. "This doubles as a bed. I call it a futon."

"Very creative. Where did you come up with that?"

"It just came to me."

"Well, it's getting late. So much excitement in one day wore me out. I'm turning in. You can have the bedroom. I'll warn you, it smells a little odd, but the bed works well enough."

Wolf was about to flop down on the flat futon when Iroh stopped him. "Wait a minute."

Wolf stopped what he was about to do. "What?"

"What did my brother do to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He knew that you were a rebel, and he had evidence that you were in charge of that charade. He was very angry after seeing you, so I have reason to believe that you did not tell him what he wanted to know. Ozai does not take kindly to that."

"It's not your problem."

"It is too my problem. It is my job to look after you."

"Fine. There's a candle…" Wolf gestured vaguely to the pile, "somewhere over there. If you care so much, have a look for yourself."

As Iroh dug around a pile, Wolf removed his shirt and flopped down carefully on his stomach. Iroh was successful in his mining and had a lit candle in less time than would have been believed. He walked over to the futon and held the candle up. Lightly, he touched at the area around the long cuts. Wolf hissed with the pain.

After a few minutes, Wolf asked reluctantly, "So, how does it look?"

"My guess would be that it is about as bad as it feels."

"Ouch. That's really bad, then."

"If I find some, I will apply some medicine to help dull the pain and help it heal faster."

Wolf heard a clatter of things being moved. A few minutes later, he felt Iroh approach again. A cold substance was smeared across a small section of the wounds. The salve was cold and it burned. It didn't seem to help with the pain too much either.

"That stuff really smells bad," Wolf muttered.

"Most things that are good for you do. It is probably really old, as well."

"It doesn't really help either."

"You need to let it sink in before it will."

Sure enough, by the time Iroh was done, the first section had warmed up slightly and the pain had almost vanished.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now, how about some tea before we go to sleep?" Iroh went into the kitchen with the light. He was going to fix tea whether Wolf wanted some or not.

Wolf smiled. "It's always tea with you, isn't it?"

"Tea is good for you."

"Yeah, I'll have some. So, I haven't heard much about anyone lately. What have you been up to? Finally marry that girl you had your eyes on?"

Wolf heard Iroh pause what he was doing. "She is gone now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You guys have that son you always wanted?"

"Yes."

"He's not around. He get married or something?"

"He died an honorable death on the battle field."

Wolf muttered a curse. "I'm truly sorry to hear that." _That explains the tone for that song earlier_.

"Don't be. You haven't been around for a long time. There is still happiness for me in this life."

"Is there now?"

"Yes."

"Another wife?"

"My nephew."

"Ozai's kid?" Wolf exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Tell me about him."

"He is still young, and my brother expects too much of him. He is learning very quickly. He is better at fire bending than all of the other children his age. But, he is far better at his weapon training. He is strong, but rash. He often does things without thinking. He is also very proud."

"He has every right to be. He is the son of the great fire lord. What's that guy been up to? There's the kid, but what else?"

"He also has a daughter. She seems older than Zuko and definitely her father's child." 

"You don't have to say any more about that. I get it."

"Now, it is my turn to ask you. What have you been doing all of these long years?" Iroh sat down by Wolf with two steaming cups of tea in his hands. He handed one off.

Wolf took a couple sips of the tea. It was better than any he'd had in a long time. "Wandering mostly. Scrounging for scraps here and there. Typical out cast things. Gathering a small force to go against the Fire Lord." Wolf sat up, groaning. "I'm getting old."

"There is no escaping that."

"I know. Now, where's one of my other shirts?" Wolf hopped off the futon and started searching through the piles.

"Where are you going?"

"What makes you think I'm going somewhere?"

"I did not grow up around you without learning some of your habits."

"You are too perceptive. I'm just getting ready to go out for a little stroll tomorrow."

"I would not go back there if I were you."

"Who said anything about going back?" Wolf stood, satisfied with a shirt he unearthed. He carefully pulled it on.

"No one. I just know you too well."

"Yes, you do."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Yes. I can't stop you from lending me your words of wisdom."

"Go back when you are healed."

"I can't. That will just give them time to beef up the security. If I go now, they won't expect a thing."

"What will you do if you are caught?"

A pensive look crossed Wolf's face. He shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge if I get there."

"Well planned out."

Wolf turned to really look at Iroh, a confused and startled look on his face. _Sarcasm?_ "Since when did you use sarcasm?"

"People do change."

Exasperated, Wolf headed for the door.

"Now you are going some where. May I have one more word?" Iroh paused. Wolf looked back at him. "Do not treat Zuko like a pawn. He is very proud and will not take kindly to that."

"It's Ozai's kid. That's not a pawn, that's a knight," Wolf muttered.

"I will go to bed now. I will see you in the morning." Iroh put his empty tea mug on top of the cabinet and went into the bedroom.

Wolf stood by the door, debating whether or not he wanted to go out right this second or not. "I'll wait until morning," he muttered, suddenly tired. He laid down on the futon, rolled onto his side, and fell asleep.

……………

……………

Chapter 5 - END

……………

……………


	6. Chapter 6

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 6

Wolf woke up early the next day. He packed provisions and headed off for the palace. Along the way, he stopped by the new location of the village, just as he had promised.

He discovered that all of the people liked Jin and thought of her as their leader in his absence. Inquiries were made about the prisoners, and Wolf couldn't answer them. Someone said that the Fire Nation took no prisoners. When asked about their next try, Wolf decided it would be best to lay low for a couple years, build back up. After Wolf answered a few more questions, he was off, headed for his original destination.

……………

A young man strode confidently around the garden like area. He was tall and decent looking and carried himself majestically. He had a small ponytail. His golden eyes stared straight ahead.

"Hey, kid…" Wolf hissed. He was hiding in the shadows of a corner, watching for a good moment.

The young man stopped and looked around. He thought he heard something, but he didn't see any one.

"Prince Zuko," Wolf called, only slightly louder.

Zuko turned quickly and spotted the person who was talking. The man in the shadows enthusiastically gestured him over. Warily, the prince walked over to the space between walls.

"Amazing. He has a wolf's hearing," Wolf muttered, pleased before he slunk into the shadows a little more, forcing Zuko to follow.

"What is a wolf?"

"A spirit creature. They live mostly up north and have very acute hearing, so it is a compliment."

"Do I know you?"

"You don't know me, but I have heard about you. Your uncle thinks highly of you. He talks about you a lot."

"You know where uncle is?" Zuko asked.

"Yes."

"Take me to him."

"Not yet. I have some questions, and depending on your answers, I will decide if I take you or not. First, why do you want to see Iroh?"

"He is my uncle, but he is more of a father to me than my own father."

"Do you resent that?"

Zuko glared slightly.

"What about your father? What do you think he's like."

"I…I don't really know him that well."

"He's pushed you away. I can relate. What happens if your uncle committed treason? Would you still want to see him?"

"Why would uncle do that?"

"Maybe…his family ties are far stronger than his brothers. But…that is just a guess."

"What has uncle done this time?"

Wolf chuckled. Apparently Iroh was still up to being slightly defiant. Ozai didn't seem to want to let Zuko in on the whole of what was going on. "I think I might leave now."

"Take me with you."

Wolf looked at the young prince. "Not today."

Zuko attacked. Wolf had barely enough time to block an enflamed fist before Zuko had him against the wall by the neck with his other hand. Wolf grimaced with the pain that exploded down his back. He grabbed Zuko's hand with his own, allowing the other to hang by his side, to show that he had no hostile intentions without fully endangering his own life. A small smile tugged at Wolf's lips.

"That was interesting," Wolf chuckled.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Zuko's hold tightened with his anger.

"Ok, I was just kidding. I was planning on taking you, but I wanted to see your reaction. Iroh was right. You are good."

Zuko released his hold and turned half way, slightly embarrassed that he had shown that kind of reaction.

"Now, there's a way to do this. It would be better today to tell your father you are going out. I wouldn't tell him that you are going to see your uncle, though. Take some food and another outfit. I'll be right here when you return. Please be alone."

"I don't trust you yet, but I will do as you suggest. I would like to see my uncle."

"Excellent."

"It would help if I knew your name."

"My name is Moltov. I'm sure you wouldn't have heard of me?"

Zuko shook his head.

"Perfect. I'll be here."

Zuko nodded once, and left. Wolf sat down to wait.

……………

Zuko had hurried to inform his father that he was going to be going out on a small recon and requested to choose his own men to leave with him. Ozai was too busy to take much not of this, and let him go. Zuko packed a small bag and went back to where his contact was.

"That was quick," Wolf muttered as Zuko approached.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

"All right. This way." Wolf stood and started on his way.

"Why are we going this way?"

"Um…" Wolf chuckled slightly. "I'm not really welcome here. Long story. So, I sneak in the back way."

"A back way?"

"Yup. Through the kitchen. I'd appreciate it if you keep quiet about it. I like being able to do this."

Zuko glanced at Wolf with a "You are weird" expression.

Wolf led the way through the main part of the building to the kitchen. From there, he waited for an opening and slipped through the secret passage. The secret passage let them outside of the wall. Wolf set a brisk pace to get them to Ba Sing Sei quickly. It was between midday and sunset when they finally made it to the walls.

"Why are we here?" Zuko asked quietly.

"I live here. Your uncle does too, for now. You are going to be among the first Firebenders to actually step foot inside this city. But first…" Wolf stopped and grabbed a man's arm. "That's a nice hat. How much?"

"I bought it for twelve."

"I'll give you thirty."

The man's eyes widened with astonishment. "Deal."

Wolf gave the man the money and the man handed off the hat. Wolf was grinning widely. "That was easy. Here. It won't do to have you look completely like a Firebender going into Ba Sing Sei, right?"

"I don't think so…" Zuko took the woven wicker hat and put it on.

They got through the gate with no hassle. Wolf let Zuko through the crowded streets until they got to his abode.

Wolf opened the door and walked in. Zuko was close behind. The interior was darker than the world outside, so the two had to wait a little bit for their eyes to adjust. Wolf's eyes did so quicker, and he plodded away from the door to an area that was farther away from the door, but the wallessness prevented it from being a room. He sprawled across a couch, lying on his side.

"Wolf, welcome back." Iroh commented as he came forward from the back room. He paused when he spotted someone else. "Zuko?"

"Uncle! It is so good to see you," Zuko exclaimed, rushing to stand in front of the old man. "Why did you leave so suddenly?"

"As it happened, an urgent matter came up. As such, I am no longer welcome at your father's table."

"What happened? Please, uncle, tell me."

"It is a really long story, and it is hard to explain."

"Start from the beginning," Wolf called, waving a hand over the top of the couch.

"I don't know the whole story."

"Then tell the basic outline. If there's something wrong with it, I'll correct it."

"Come. We will sit and talk this over with tea. I have just finished making some. Would you like some, Wolf?"

"Not now."

Iroh showed Zuko into the room like area that incorporated the couch, a table and a cushion. Zuko sat at the table on the opposite side from the cushion, making sure he could keep an eye on Wolf. Iroh left and returned minutes later with two steaming cups of tea and the pot. Iroh sat on the cushion and took several sips from his cup before starting the story.

"It was many years ago. Your father, Wolf, and I all were all born within five years of each other, so we grew up together."

"My father was never part of my life, so he isn't part of my history. Same with my mother. I was raised in the palace with Iroh and Ozai," Wolf imputed.

"Yes, that is true. Wolf, here, was very smart, and his strategies worked very well."

"They still do."

"To some extent. Wolf and my brother were mostly unseparateable. Wolf was my brother's closest advisor. We were doing very well until our father died suddenly."

"Too suddenly," Wolf muttered.

"I know you think my brother killed him."

"I have every right to. Zuko'd understand if you'd finish the story."

"If you wouldn't interrupt so much, I could."

Wolf humphed and flipped around so that his back was to his guests.

"Any way, your father became king. He always thought that our father was too nice, even during our war. His first move was to tighten our hold on other nations. I remember Wolf saying that it wouldn't be good, that doing so would encourage massive uprisings."

"I warned him."

"My brother was not happy with Wolf's advising. I also believe that he wanted to rule without the ties of humanity. 'Humanity was what made Father weak' was what he said to me once. I do not know the rest of this story. I was sent out to the war about that time."

"Ozai wasn't happy with me," Wolf started quietly. "But it would have been conspicuous to just have me murdered. At that time, I don't think he quiet had the guts. So, he ordered some of the sages to invoke a forbidden practice. It was called magic or sorcery; I'm not quite sure which.

"I was called from my room the night he decided to do that. I was used to having things like that happen, so I didn't think anything of it. I went to the main hall. I walked into the room and stood directly in front of him, like I always did. Suddenly, I was grabbed on both sides. Ozai branded me a traitor. I heard them chanting in an ancient language.

"The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a spiritual realm. I was being escorted by two of Ozai's followers. I really didn't like it, so I struggled to break free. It didn't work. We came across rare and fascinating creatures. One or the other kept saying that it wasn't right. I didn't understand what wasn't right.

"Finally, complete night descended upon the spirit realm. A silvery being appeared before us. It said that we didn't belong, and that it would make us leave. They talked to it, saying that the Fire Lord was looking for something like this creature for his ends. He wanted to disgrace me as much as possible. The wolf prowls under the moon's light, and that would be fitting for a Fire Nation out cast.

"I really don't know what happened after that. All I can guess is that the wolf half possessed me or turned me into one of them. I was sent back to this world as a wolf. I have no memory of the ten years after that, but I know that I traveled everywhere. All I knew was the animal instincts and a will to survive. Finally, a shaman brought back the human part of me. You know where I've ended up now."

"I don't believe you," Zuko stated after sitting in silence for a while.

"Believe or not, that's your deal."

"How could a man become an animal? It doesn't make any sense. And why would the spirit do that?"

Wolf shrugged. "Like I said, that's your deal."

"You are being oddly grumpy today," Iroh commented.

"I'm tired, and I hurt. That should make me happy."

"Sarcasm from you too. I'll find some more of that balm for you."

"Don't need it."

"It helps."

Wolf sat up, a dangerous look in his eyes. "I said I don't need it!"

Iroh started at him. "I believe you have been to long a stray. You know longer know that friends are here to help."

Wolf glared at Iroh for a few seconds more then glanced away. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"You are forgiven. Now, I will go find that medicine."

Iroh left to go do as he said.

Wolf reached over the slight hill of the side of the couch and pulled a lever. The sofa back fell backwards with a creak and a thud. He twisted around and lay on his chest, making sure he could watch the prince.

"Why did you tell me your name was Moltov? Uncle called you Wolf," Zuko asked.

"Because I am both. My old name was Moltov, back when I was with the Fire Nation. Since I'm not any more, I figure I'd take on a new name. People just started calling me Wolf, and I took it."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Right now? Nothing."

"But, Father probably won't expect an attack right now."

"That's what I think too, but there are two problems. The first is that I have no force to attack with. My mission failed, and I lost. There are probably only a hand full of my force left. The second reason is that I can't fight right now."

"Maybe a second attack would still work."

"Have you ever heard of jing?"

"Jing?"

"Yes. It represents the ideas of battle. Positive jing is when you are attacking and negative jing is retreating. Right now, I'm executing neutral jing by doing absolutely nothing."

"Oh. So, why are you fighting against my father?"

"To help the people."

Zuko scrutinized Wolf closely. "You're lying."

Wolf stared at Zuko, weighing the young prince. "Not really. When I first started, I thought of nothing but revenge. As I traveled from village to village, gathering all of the rebellious fighters, I started to realize how the war affected everyone. All of these people, either uprooted or forced into submission. What's more, Ozai's upsetting the balance of nature. If the Avatar hadn't gone missing, all of the Airbenders would be extinct. If one Nation becomes completely void, the whole world will cease to exist. They all balance each other, and if you throw that balance off, the counter weight will go out of control. I want to help the people get their way of life back and maintain balance of the elements. Besides, what your father did to me, it really isn't all that bad. I'm as old as Iroh, but I look half my age."

"Which is one reason why I don't believe your story."

"Suit yourself."

Iroh came in right at that time. "I have found it!"

"Great," Wolf muttered sarcastically.

"It helps. You know it does."

"Yeah, sure."

"Take off your shirt."

"I'm comfortable. I put it on backwards just for that reason."

"I thought you were just making a statement against the Fire Lord."

Iroh sat on the bed next to where Wolf was lying and started undoing the shirt. Wolf caught Zuko trying to get a better glance.

"Sit back down, kid. It's not something you need to see," Wolf said.

Zuko sat back where he was with a small scowl.

Iroh finished the first step and started looking at the wounds. "You reopened them," he commented in a half scolding tone.

"Could explain why they hurt, right?"

"I told you to take it easy."

"I did."

Iroh started applying the salve.

"What happened?" Zuko asked.

"When? The first time? You're better off not knowing."

"Why don't you tell the boy? It might help…"

"Iroh, it's fine. He doesn't need to know."

"I still think you should tell him. You can't build trust by keeping secrets."

"I'm not keeping secrets, I'm withholding information, that's all."

"It is the same thing. Done. I will put a cloth over it so you can still live in your active life style."

Iroh finished what he said he was doing and re-clasped Wolf's shirt.

"Uncle, I believe I will be going now," Zuko stated.

"It is just about to get dark. I do not think that would be such a good idea."

"Father wanted me to come back sometime today."

"I see. I will see you out."

Wolf made to get up, but Iroh put his hand on his shoulder. "You can stay here."

"Fine. Well, feel free to stop by whenever you're in the neighborhood. You can leave your stuff here. We might be changing locations soon, since it's a little dangerous here. If we do, I'll send someone you know. See you around?" Wolf held out a hand.

Zuko shook it. "Yes. Who will you send?"

"Just…some one. It'll be a hard one to miss."

"I will see you around. Maybe…sometime later this week?"

"It works."

Zuko nodded and followed Iroh to the door. They talked quietly for a few minutes before Zuko left.

Iroh came back into the room.

"Well, that was interesting. Not quite what I expected," Wolf commented.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Wolf called. He laughed shortly. "That could have been stupid."

"Welcome back, Wolf." An elderly woman entered the room. She was carrying a couple small boxes in her arms. She was waning in her years, but she still had the form of someone young.

"Ah, my adoptive aunt!" Wolf exclaimed, sitting up.

"Oh, my. Who is this?" the old woman asked, looking at Iroh with interest.

"My older brother, kind of."

"I see the looks run in your family. I had dinner early today, and I thought I would bring you the leftovers. I didn't know that you would have a guest."

"He's a room mate, not a guest."

"Oh, I see."

"Thank you for the food. We will eat it, right?" Wolf smiled, looking at Iroh.

Iroh muttered something about how there wasn't any decent food in the house.

"I'll just leave it on the table for you. You take care now, Wolf."

"I will."

The old woman set the food on the table and left.

"Who was that?" Iroh asked.

"Some old lady. When I first came here, she looked after me. Even now, she stops by to feed me almost every day."

"You are a freeloader."

"Yeah, I am. But it works. Now let's eat!"

……………

……………

Chapter 6 - END

……………

……………


	7. Chapter 7

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 7

Zuko stopped by occasionally to see Iroh. He started to accept Wolf for who he was, not for any other reason.

Wolf was getting anxious. During the day they had to stay inside incase someone knew them by picture. Being cooped up was not Wolf's idea of a good time.

"I think I want to leave this place," Wolf started again. He had been saying that while pacing for three weeks.

"You could easily leave, Wolf."

"Yeah. But where…? Where to go?"

Iroh remained quiet, examining the diagram on the table. He had been trying to set up a pai sho board. No matter what he did, it just didn't look right.

"Hm…I don't want to go back to that group…They have enough on their plate without me being around…" He laughed a little as he thought. "I wish I had a map…that wold make the listing easier. That place kicked me out…Can't go there…that place is to far. Maybe…no, it's a little far. But…yes…Yes. I think that's where I'll go."

"Have you finally come to a decision?"

"Yeah. There's a little no name island. It's not far from here, but I'd have to take a boat. Lucky for me, I know someone in that business."

"I will come with you."

"You sure you don't want to stay here? I'm sure Auntie will keep making you food."

Iroh shuddered at the thought. "I _am_ going with you."

Wolf smiled. "Then it's settled. We'll leave within the week. All we have to do is pack a few things. Oh, and inform Zuko. I'll send for Jin."

Iroh shook his head. "You enjoy tormenting people."

"Only some. I was Fire Nation once. It's their job to torment people."

Iroh shook his head again. Wolf did enjoy tormenting people too much. Unfortunately, Iroh had been the only one around for the past month and had received the brunt of most of it. Fortunately, Wolf never went for Fire Nation way of tormenting people. Sending Jin to Zuko was just Wolf's way.

Wolf went into a back room where a bird was kept up in a cage. He muttered a couple words soothingly to the bird while writing a letter. "Hey, Iroh! How do you spell receive?"

"Sound it out."

"I did. It looks funny."

"You're writing looks funny. I'm surprised any one can read it. Remember the rules."

"Fine." Wolf muttered. "Like I remember the rules." Wolf spelled the word out as best as he could before finishing the rest of the letter. Satisfied, he folded it in half rolled it up. Wolf took out a string and wrapped it around the letter, then let the bird out of its cage. "Time for a little exercise."

He tied the letter to the bird's leg as he walked out of the room.

"What is that?" Iroh asked.

"The Fire Nation uses those falcon things, here they use carrier pigeon hawks."

"Oh."

Wolf opened the door. "Fly home, little bird." The bird flew off.

"That wasn't a little bird."

Wolf shrugged. "I'm bigger than it is, so it is a little bird. Small enough, at least."

……………

Jin had got Wolf's note a day and a half later and went to meet him. He told her that they were moving and the location. He also passed on his connection's information so that she could follow. However, she couldn't get away that day or the next. So it was almost a week before she actually made it to see Zuko.

Jin easily snuck into the palace. She slunk around outside until she discovered where Zuko's room was. "Ok, now for a little fun," she muttered to herself.

She examined the wall for a moment before jumping up slightly and latching on like a lizard. Jin felt her way up the surface, digging her fingers into small cracks. She made it up to the Prince's room with out any mishaps.

She looked around with disappointment. Zuko wasn't in. It was a large room that could have been an entire house, like Wolf's. There was a large bed with hangings and a fancy nightstand that held a large jug of water. Jin poked around a little and sat on the bed. She continued examining her surroundings for a while then lay back. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scents.

"Zuko smells nice," she muttered to herself. "I can't believe I'm in his room. I wonder if I could ever be that way with him…"

There was an image in her mind that she was referring to. She was thinking of what her mother would do. When her dad went out on missions, her mother would work during the day and at night, go to the window in their room and wait for her husband's return. Jin felt like that's what she was doing now, but scolded herself. "I shouldn't think like that."

A small glimmer caught her eye, and Jin sat up to look. There were two scimitars crossing in an x on the wall. Smiling, Jin stood and walked over to them. She ran a hand lightly up the top blade. She poked at the tassel and batted it once like a cat. "These are nice. Best metal I've ever seen. I wish I could use these."

Jin debated for only a second. Carefully, she lifted the top sword from its pegs. It was a little heavier than she was used to, but surprisingly light for such a large blade. She stepped away from the wall and swung the blade in a horizontal arc. Hearing the whoosh of air pleased her. Grinning, she could imagine an enemy standing in the space. She cut an imaginary x across the chest. For the finishing blow, she raised the scimitar behind her.

Something grabbed the blade before Jin could deliver the hit. "What are you doing in my room?" a voice asked quietly.

"Prince Zuko!" Jin exclaimed, turning around to face the prince. "I was waiting for you. You do remember me, right?"

Zuko nodded.

"I'm the contact. You know, from our friend. Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't help but touch. They're just so beautiful."

Jin handed the weapon to Zuko, who walked past her to mount it back on the wall. Satisfied that the sword was going to stay, Zuko turned to look at Jin again.

"What do they want?"

"Well, Wolf is getting tired of Ba Sing Sei, so he was thinking of moving to one of his other homes for a while. He wanted me to tell you that, and maybe lead you there if you weren't too busy."

"Father doesn't want me going out right now. He actually was planning on letting me attend the meeting tomorrow."

"Oh, really? That's so cool!" Jin exclaimed.

"Keep it down."

"Sorry. Hm…well that's a shame. I don't think we could get there and be back early tomorrow. It's kinda a long walk and then there's a boat trip… yeah, that wont work well. Hm…Can I come back to get you after tomorrow?"

"I don't think I need to stay here."

"Great. I guess I'll see you then?"

Zuko nodded. Jin walked over to the window.

"Wait, how did you get in?" Zuko asked, mildly confused. He had locked the door.

"I climbed. Don't forget, I'm a ninja. Well, see ya!" With that, Jin hopped out the window.

……………

The move had gone quiet well. The two old friends gathered some clothes and a few provisions and left quietly. Wolf's connection had been a pain, but with a little 'gentle persuasion' Wolf managed to weasel a boat out of him for cheep. He navigated to a small island that was a vibrant pink in color because of the far spread cherry trees. Spring was just beginning, so the trees were in full blossom.

The house Wolf had possession of was easily three times that of the one in Ba Sing Sei. It was designed in a hut-like fashion and had three bedrooms, a decent kitchen and a proper living room. It was sparsely furnished, but the roof didn't leak.

Wolf sat at the window in his bedroom, half-hanging out of it.

Iroh came in. "I have been looking everywhere for you. I should have known. All you do is lay about the house all day like a cat."

"Is there something wrong with cats?"

"Isn't there something you can be doing?" Iroh stepped closer. He noticed that Wolf was looking a little down and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"No, not really. I'm watching the cherry trees. They're in full blossom right now."

"Bah," Iroh said in disgust, making a shooing hand gesture at the window.

"I take it you don't like them."

"They are not to my liking."

"I see. I like them. But, they make me feel nostalgic. I don't really know why. I hadn't seen them before, until I came here. It was like this the first time, too. I think I'd like to die here, during this time of the year, with the blossoms falling."

"How very depressing."

"So that's why…"

"'So that's why' what?"

"Why you don't like them."

"Why is that?"

"Because you think they're depressing."

"My son died about this time of year. A single cherry tree was falling out of season, and the blossoms were falling like rain."

"Well, to each their own."

"Besides, you cannot make tea out of them."

"Ah, I think I can prove you wrong. Come, there's something I want to show you."

Wolf hopped the bed so that he could lead Iroh to the surprise. Wolf walked quickly out the back door of the house. He stood on the patio for a moment, picking his direction before taking off again. "It's hard to see from above," he muttered a quick explanation. After a quick walk he came to a small area that had a small gap in a circle around a single tree. Unlike the surrounding pink forest, this tree was pure white.

Iroh stared at the tree, eyebrows furrowed.

"A white cherry-less cherry tree. Only one of it's kind, as far as I know. It makes an excellent tea."

Wolf grabbed a handful of leaves and started walking away. Iroh looked a few moments longer before following. When the old general entered, Wolf was searching through cabinets for a flint.

"Do you need help?" Iroh asked.

"Not really." Wolf continued to rummage through drawers, but came up empty handed. "Ok, yes. Could you light the fire for me?"

"What happened to your fire bending?"

"It kind of…nullified…or something. I doesn't work sometimes. No big deal."

Iroh lit the fire and Wolf put a teakettle on to boil.

"You know, I could have done that for you."

"Takes all the fun out of it. And the flavor."

Wolf set up two cups with a couple white cherry leaves and blossoms. After a few minutes, the water was boiling. Wolf filled the cups with water and put the kettle back. A strange aroma filled the air.

"This tea of yours smells very strange," Iroh noted.

"So. Lot's of things smell strange."

When the cups stopped steaming, Wolf deemed they could be consumed. Wolf had no problem with his, but Iroh took one sip and set down his cup.

"This is very strange."

"What's wrong? Don't like it?"

"The tea is a little to sweet and bitter at the same time."

"Maybe a little."

"Cherry blossoms do not make good tea."

Wolf shrugged. "Your jealous."

"No, cherry blossoms just do not make good tea. That is all there is to it."

……………

……………

Chapter 7 - END

……………

……………


	8. Chapter 8

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 8

Zuko walked proudly behind the last general into the war room. He had eagerly awaited the day he would be allowed to go in. Being able to do so was proof that he was almost of age. Iroh had always said that he wasn't missing anything in going to these meetings, but never the less, Zuko wanted to know what was going on. It was his duty.

Zuko sat down on an empty mat that had been provided. He looked down on a map of the world. There were miniature buildings where the cities and towns were. Each had a little hole in the top through which a small flag symbolizing who was in possession of the unit protruded. There were even little rectangles that Zuko realized to be ships 'floating' in the water.

"We have spent many years contemplating our attacks. There is a small Earth Kingdom force located in a small village near here. Ordinarily, this would not be a threat. However, when we sent some soldiers in to negotiate a trade pact, they returned dead. This small Earth Kingdom village attacked our troops. We have no choice but to attack."

Zuko's brow furrowed. _Why would a small Earth Kingdom group attack the Firebenders? _It just didn't seem right. _The Fire Nation soldiers tried to play rough. They tried to force the goods,_ Zuko realized. Wolf had often commented on little things like that. _Fine, they attacked, so we have every right to attack back._

"We should send the forty-seventh division to suppress this rebellion," one of the older soldiers commented.

"Yes, they need proper experience," another agreed

_That would make sense. Get them used to the slaughter_, a part of Zuko's mind that had caught on to Wolf's attitude said.

"We could do that. But these peasants defeated five high-ranking soldiers. Could the forty-seventh really stand up to that?"

"They could be bait. We lure the eyes of the villagers to one unit, engage in the fight and attack from behind with another."

Zuko stood. "You can't do that. You can't sacrifice an entire unit for such a petty cause. The forty-seventh division is filled with many young men who are willing to die for our Nation. But why should they be sacrificed like animals? And what about the villagers? Many of them probably were against what a few of the men did. What about them? You'll kill them too, wont you?"

"That's enough, Prince Zuko," Ozai's voice rumbled as he stood. His form was hidden by the flames that surrounded the dais where he had sat. "You have disrespected this meeting by speaking out against a man with more experience on the field than you. The only way you can atone for this is through Agni Kai."

Zuko looked up defiantly. "If that's what it takes to let my thoughts be known, I'll do it."

"We will wait for sundown. Go to your room, Zuko. Go to the arena ten minutes before the sun sets."

"Yes, Father." Zuko left the room with furious movements to obey his father's command. "I can take any one he throws at me," he muttered as he stomped down the hall.

A young tea server hurried to move out of the way of the angered prince. He had heard all that had happened. The Fire Lord sure was loud. Entering the room, the young boy heard Ozai mutter, "My own son has started to sound like my cursed brother." They server hurried to get everything set so that he could leave to inform Jin of what was about to happen.

……………

Wolf and Iroh had been playing a round of Pai Sho. Wolf, more used to the spirit's game he had picked up, was loosing miserably. While they played, they had been conversing and finally got around to talking about Zuko.

"He doesn't quite trust you, you know," Iroh commented, putting a piece down.

"Zuko's a smart kid. I don't believe he'd do something that'd get us turned over." Wolf stopped, shushing Iroh as well. "There's someone coming very quickly," he hissed.

Iroh stopped talking and crept to one side of the door. Wolf slunk to the other. Soon, Iroh could hear the hurried steps Wolf referred to. The door was wrenched open and a hooded and cloaked figure burst into the room. Once the second the figure was clear of the door, Wolf pounced. There was a startled yelp as Wolf wrapped his arms around the form; one around the waist including the hands, the other around the mouth.

"Who are you? Who sent you and what do you want?" So that the answers could be heard, he slowly moved his hand away from the figure's mouth.

"It's me, Jin. Let go, Wolf," a girl's voice said shakily.

"Iroh, close the door, please." Iroh complied.

Wolf let go of the girl and she stumbled forward. She turned and removed the hood of the cape. She glared slightly at Wolf to hide her fright.

"I'm sorry about that, Jin. Iroh, can you make us some tea?"

"There's no time for tea!" Jin exclaimed quickly.

"No time for tea?" Iroh asked, stunned. There was always time for tea.

"I've come to tell you something urgent. When I left the Fire Lord's place, I had one of my conspirators stay behind, to be my eyes and ears and such. Well, just a while ago, I got a message via bird. It said…it said that Zuko spoke up in your favor during a very important meeting. The fire lord was furious and now…Zuko has to do an Agni Kai. The messenger didn't say against whom, but I can only assume that it's against the Fire Lord. Zuko can't fight against his father!" By the time she finished, Jin was frantic and near tears.

"I'm going," Iroh grunted and opened the door.

"I'm coming with you," both Jin and Wolf said in unison.

"Wolf, yes. Jin, I ask that you stay here. We will bring Zuko back, I promise."

"But I want to fight," Jen mumbled.

"Please Jin. We need to move as fast as possible, and we might have to do things that it's best you don't see."

"You don't think I can hack it. Fine. Both of you come back with Zuko. I will kill you if you don't."

"Ok, let's go."

Iroh and Wolf took off at a slow run. The boat ride to the main land seemed to take forever. They tried to pace themselves as much as possible, and it worked for a while, but Iroh slowly was loosing steam. Wolf noticed this and slowed the pace.

"Go on without me. Zuko needs help as soon as possible. I'll just slow us down," Iroh gestured Wolf on weakly.

As much as Wolf didn't want to leave behind his brother, a sense of urgency forced his decision. "I won't let you down."

Wolf transformed into his spirit form and broke into a harder run. He had soon left behind the old general. An hour passed before the Fire Lord's temporary palace came into his view. Wolf veered around to the side entrance he always used. When he came to it, he transformed back and tried to open the secret passage. It was locked. Wolf tried again, just to make sure, but the result was the same. "No!" Wolf worked on trying to jimmy open the door, but it didn't work.

Iroh appeared in Wolf's view and the younger sprinted to meet back up with his partner in crime. "The passage is locked," Wolf panted when he arrived.

"There's only two other ways in. There is an entrance in the rear, but that is hard to find and better guarded," Iroh commented between gasps for air.

"Or, we just break in the front."

"Exactly."

"Let's go with reckless. I'll take out the archers."

With a small plan forming, the two came to the place. Wolf went faster, making a slight arc around the front wall and managed to climb up to the top by using a side outcropping. By the time Iroh had gotten within firing range of the archers, Wolf was onto the men. In his spirit form, Wolf bit and scratched at the unguarded archers. A couple fled in fright. Wolf jumped down and opened the gate for Iroh. The two hurried into the palace.

……………

The day had passed between the time his father had announced the Agni Kai. Zuko had stretched and prepared as well as he could. He was confident that he could beat almost anyone his father could throw at him. Now, it was time.

Zuko walked into the arena. The arena where all Agni Kai took place was a large room that could easily seat a hundred. The spectators sat on the two longer sides of the arena. Their own little area that was blocked by tall supports and red triangular flags. The other two walls bore a tapestry of the Fire symbol. The fighting arena itself was completely isolated. Around the sides was a black abyss. There were three steps to the platform where the fight was to be held. At the four corners, a large dish of fire burned brightly.

Zuko took off his shirt and knelt with his back to the other side. Someone put the towel around his shoulders. This would be the time to pray to Agni. Zuko found he had nothing to ask for. He was confident he would win.

The signal to start sounded. Zuko stood and turned in one motion. The cloth around his shoulders fell to the ground. He saw his opponent do the same. As the other man emerged from the shadows, Zuko froze. It was the Fire Lord he would have to go against.

"Father, you're my opponent?" Zuko asked, fearing the answer.

"Someone has to teach you a lesson. It might as well be your old man," Ozai said in his calm voice.

"I can't fight you Father."

"I have no problem fighting against you. You should treat me as you would any other opponent."

"I can't. I will not fight you." Zuko knelt all the way to the ground and lowered his forehead to touch it.

"You are a weak, disgraceful, coward. You very defiance shames me! Stand and fight, or I shall beat you."

"I will not fight you."

Ozai snapped. With a monstrous roar, he unleashed a furious fireball at his son. The first one just barely grazed past Zuko. Zuko felt the intense heat of the flames, but remained frozen where he was.

With a bestial snarl, Ozai unleashed another one. The first had been a warning, saying that he would not hesitate to hurt his son. This one wasn't. The ball hit Zuko in the side of the head.

Zuko cried out from the searing pain. Falling back, his hand reached up to brush the embers away from his skin.

The Fire Lord didn't stop there. He pressed the attack, adding several spurts of flame.

Zuko looked up just in time to see this and avoid them reflexively.

Ozai ceased action. "Will you fight me now, Zuko? Will you fight to restore your honor?"

Zuko's breath was coming in with ragged gasps. The whole left side of his face still felt like it was burning. "I cannot."

"Then to put an end to your shamefulness, I will kill you."

Zuko's hand dropped to his side. He glanced down at the floor. _Wolf was right_, he thought. _Everything he said was right. But, still, I cannot fight him._ Zuko looked back to his father. He was determined and his eyes shone with an almost daring brilliance.

The doors flung open. "Sir! My Lord! There are…" an archer, supporting an abused right arm called.

Ozai released the large blast of fire. At the same time, the archer was tackled from behind. A snarling, blood covered black wolf stood on the man's back. Wolf barely had time to register the fire blast, and know it was too late.

"Zuko!" Iroh called. He had rushed into the room right behind the messenger. He hurried to intercept the large fireball. He was just in time to knock Zuko down away from the blast and take a firm stance when the blast arrived. Using his left arm, he created an air current to deflect the flame.

Iroh stood to face Ozai. The old man's arm was singed badly, but he still held it up to defend. Wolf bounded up to the arena's platform to check on Zuko. The blast had been so large, that even Iroh's push didn't get Zuko far enough away. As Wolf approached, Zuko passed out. Wolf turned his attention to the Fire Lord, snarling.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Ozai mused. "My dear brother Iroh, and the little mutt Moltov?"

Wolf braced himself for a spring. Iroh put his hand out. "Stay by Zuko." Wolf relaxed slightly.

"What an obedient dog you have, Iroh."

Wolf growled, but remained where he was.

"I'll make a deal with you Iroh. You are the only one I will ever make an offer to. Kill the wolf and my troublesome son, and I'll let you come back."

"That is quite an honor. I will have to decline."

"Very well. I will kill you first." Ozai leapt into combat. Iroh sprang to meet him, but was only able to defended against an onslaught of fireballs. Suddenly, a blue lightning bolt streaked across the stage, putting a momentary hold to the fight.

"Do you need my help, Father?" a young woman asked.

Iroh backed up to where Wolf was. "We shouldn't try this one. Let us go."

Wolf nodded. Iroh picked Zuko up. Wolf turned quickly to extinguish a flame sent in their direction. Iroh placed the unconscious prince on the wolf's back and they ran for the entrance where they came in. An entrance that was blocked by the another wall of Fire Nation soldiers.

"Keep going!" Iroh ordered and stopped.

Wolf obeyed. Iroh sent a large fireball into the midst of the group of soldiers. It hit the ground, clearing warriors out of the way and raising a cloud of dust so that the trio could slip away undetected.

……………

……………

Chapter 8 – END

……………

……………


	9. Chapter 9

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 9

Zuko attempted to open his eyes, but his left one didn't listen. He decided he was grateful that it didn't listen. The response of pain that he received from asking it to was enough.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko," a voice said lightly.

Zuko tried to sit up, but the rest of his body, mostly his left side, protested. His good eye focused and he glanced around to where he thought he heard the voice. Wolf was sitting next to him. A large cut marred a good portion of the older man's face, but he was still smiling.

"Don't call me that," Zuko mumbled.

"Sorry. Iroh wanted to be here, but I think he wore himself out. Actually, that would be a fact. After all, we ran all the way there, and barely made it back. He crashed on the couch as soon as he knew we were back."

"What about you?"

"As tired as I am, there's a sudden ringing in my ears. I can't sleep, so I decided to sit up with you."

"Oh."

"Well, now that you're up, I think I can switch shifts." Wolf stood with a yawn and swayed slightly. He put his hands out to steady himself. Once he was certain he wasn't going to fall over, Wolf headed for the door.

"I saw it," Zuko commented quietly.

Wolf paused, hand on the door. "Saw what?"

"The wolf. I saw it. You didn't lie."

Wolf smiled slightly as he turned. "No, I didn't."

"You didn't lie about anything."

Wolf shrugged and walked over to look out the window. "Truth is, I'm a terrible liar. I always get caught."

"I see."

"I have a question Zuko. What do you think of cherry blossoms?"

"Cherry blossoms?"

"Yes. They're in full bloom right now. Fire Nation soil is too harsh and warm for the tree's taste, but here, they thrive."

"I've never seen a cherry tree."

"That's sad. I think that they're beautiful. Iroh doesn't like them, though. He said that you can't make good tea using the leaves, so they shouldn't exist. Well, not the last part, but…"

"That's just how Uncle is."

"True." Suddenly Wolf turned and addressed the door, "What do you want?"

"I hope you're talking to yourself, Wolf," a quiet girl's voice muttered.

"No, Zuko's awake now. I've been having a conversation with him."

The door opened quickly and Jin marched in. She was livid. She stomped up to Wolf and started shaking her finger at him, lecturing. "I stayed up all night waiting for you. I made pots and pots of tea, hoping to have a fresh batch ready for you when you came back. Iroh crashed on the spot, and you refused to have any. Then you said that Zuko needs to sleep, and kicked me out of the room. You were right. Zuko was seriously injured and needs to rest to recover. So what are you doing? You're having a conversation!"

"I was just…"

"No! We are going to give Zuko a cup of tea. Wait…We are going to warm him up a cup of tea and have him drink it. Then, we will leave the room quietly and let him rest! Now go! Get some ready." Jin quickly went around and started pushing Wolf around the bed and out the door.

"Ok, ok. I'm going," Wolf muttered, defenseless.

"And after your done, go get some sleep." Jin finished, pushing Wolf out the door.

"Yeah, sure. Fine."

Jin watched Wolf leave before turning to Zuko. "Good morning Zuko," she said, quiet and cheerful once again.

"Jin? What are you doing here?"

She laughed, swaying slightly. "I work with Wolf some, remember? I just slipped into the palace that one time to get you."

The pair was silent. Jin grabbed Zuko's hand and started petting it.

"Jin was really worried about you," Wolf stated, walking up behind the girl. "She made enough tea to serve the entire Fire Nation fleet."

Jin blushed slightly. "I did not," she mumbled.

"Well, here's some. I tried to warm it up as best I could, but my firebending's just not what it used to be."

"I'll take care of him now. Go rest." Jin took the tea from Wolf and set it on a side table. Wolf left.

"Here, I'll help you sit," Jin muttered. Trying her best to avoid the most serious burns, Jen managed to help Zuko into a sitting position. "Your tea…" she commented, handing it off.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Zuko took a sip. "This reminds me of a long time ago."

"It wasn't that long."

"It feels like it. Your tea is always the best. Right next to Uncle's."

Jin blushed at the compliment. "It's not that good."

"I think it is."

Silence fell again. Zuko slowly sipped the tea. When it was about half way gone, he started up the conversation again. "Where you really worried about me, like Wolf said?"

Jin looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Yes."

"Why?"

Jin's gaze hardened slightly. She started wringing her hands together. "Because…you're a nice person. Even though you're a Firebender, you're…pretty cool."

"And you worried about me."

"Yes."

"That makes me feel good."

Jin looked up, startled. Zuko did _not_ talk about what he was feeling. A mischievous look settled in her eyes. "You aren't feverish, are you?"

"I don't think so."

She smiled slightly. "No, never mind. My mistake. Finish the tea, kay?"

Zuko obeyed and finished the rest of the tea with a couple swallows.

"I'm going to try and finish the salve I was working on for the burns. Now, promise me you'll get some sleep?"

"I promise."

"All right. Good night." Jin paused for a second. She took a deep breath, let it out with a sigh and a shake of her head and left. She closed the door quietly and leaned back against it. "I shouldn't force my feelings on him. Not right now," she muttered to herself.

……………

The weeks passed by. Zuko's burns healed well enough that he was able to move about. Iroh's was still taking time. Wolf was just being Wolf. The day after the fight, he was back out scouting the island, making sure they weren't followed. Jin yelled at him, but he didn't listen.

Iroh and Wolf were sitting at the Pai Sho table, playing the game. Jin was in the kitchen, setting up for making supper. Zuko was in one of the rooms, resting.

"I really hate this game," Wolf hissed.

"It is only because you keep loosing. You are improving though."

"I'm going to teach you how to play chess. The spirits play it, so…you should catch on quickly."

Iroh ignored the comment and moved one of his pieces.

"No," Wolf moaned. That move put his pieces in a hole. "Yeah, we're going to play chess. If only they had the figures for that at the market places."

They were nearing the end of the game when Zuko entered the room. He sat down on the couch with out making a sound.

"Morning Zuko," Wolf commented lazily.

"It is not morning any more," Iroh corrected.

Wolf shrugged. "What ever."

"It's morning enough," Zuko decided.

"See?" Wolf smirked. "So, what's on your mind, Zuko?"

"A lot. It's just…I don't want to talk about it."

"Do you guys want some tea?" Jin called.

"No," Wolf and Zuko groaned. They had just finished off the tea from Jin's nervous spree of tea making.

"Yes please," Iroh smiled.

"How can you still drink that stuff?" Wolf asked.

"Because it is good."

"Yuck. I'm sick of it."

"What else will you drink?"

"Water. Just plain every day spring water. Or milk. They sell it in the village. You know, the one that's not far from here. Of course, we could get a cow. We'd have fresh milk every day."

"Just a cow?"

"You're right. Cow cows are really hard to find. Their milk's not that good any way. Maybe…a yakcowl? A cowoat?"

"Yakcowls are only found up north in the colder climates."

"That's right. So, we'd have to get a cowoat. Hey, Jin, you wanna take care of a cowoat?"

"Not especially."

"Drat. Oh well, it's just going to have to be daily market trips then."

"Why don't you take care of it?" Zuko asked.

"I don't do well with hairy beasts. They're better off as dinner."

"I win," Iroh said, snapping a tile down.

"Ah, I can't believe it!" Wolf complained, both hands rising into the air. He looked up to see Zuko staring at him. "Your turn."

"I don't play."

"Aw, come on. You can't loose worse than I just did," Wolf laughed as he walked over to the couch and sat next to Zuko. "Come on. Play."

"How old are you again, Wolf?" Iroh asked sarcastically.

"I don't want to play!" Zuko snapped. "I want to fight."

"There's no one to fight right now, Zuko. Besides, your body hasn't quite finished healing."

"I'm well enough."

"No you aren't!" Jin called from the kitchen.

Zuko sat, glaring angrily at the wall.

"All right. Let's go." Wolf stood, stretching.

"Go where?" Zuko mumbled.

"Out side. If we're gonna spar, we gotta do it outside."

"No!" Jin stormed into the room with a chef's knife in one hand. She waved it around a little, making Wolf shrink back. "Zuko isn't well enough to spar right now. His burns aren't fully healed. Do you know what happens when you start moving quickly with unhealed burns? Wolf, you would be picking on a handicap! That's not fair."

"I can't see well out of one eye. I'm not a cripple," Zuko mumbled.

"I will not allow this!"

"Is something burning?" Wolf asked, sniffing the air.

"Oh, no. Don't burn!" Jin hurried out of the room.

Wolf pulled at Zuko's sleeve. "Let's go."

"She doesn't need any help, does she?"

"Nah, nothing's burning. It was just an excuse to get her out."

"That's low, Wolf," Iroh muttered.

Wolf hurried out the door, Zuko close behind. Just as the door shut, Jin walked back into the room.

"I wasn't burning anything. Now, where was I? Hey, where'd they go?"

"Out, I think," Iroh replied. He stood with a small groan. "I get to catch up on some reading."

"Boys," Jin rolled her eyes. As she went back to the kitchen, she mumbled, "I'm not helping him this time."

Wolf led Zuko a good distance from the place through the forest of cherry trees. "It'll be good to stretch my muscles like this. Best way not to get fat. Well, exercise and not eating too much," Wolf explained as they walked.

Zuko was quiet. He couldn't figure out where Wolf came up with all of the random ideas that he had, and found it even harder sometimes to reply to them.

Wolf stopped at a large patch that was clear of trees. "This is good. Right here." He started pacing around, nudging large rocks and tree branches out of the small area.

Zuko watched warily while Wolf worked. Firebenders could always attack when least expected.

Wolf caught Zuko watching him out of the corner of his eyes and laughed privately. He finished quickly. "All right. Now we can spar."

Wolf slipped into the typical stance a Firebender used, with his hands straight instead of fisted, and held out in front of his chest. Zuko did the same, mimicking Wolf's stance.

"Wait, one more thing. Since this is a spar, no fire."

"What, because you can't do it? Would that give me too much of an upper hand? Is that what you think? Or are you just afraid of getting burned?"

Wolf's eyes hardened slightly. "Fire isn't as easy to control. If a flame hits one of the trees, the whole island will go up in flame. I don't want to have to deal with that. I like it here."

"Coward," Zuko whispered under his breath.

Wolf leapt suddenly. Zuko as slightly startled by the sudden attack, but he blocked easily. The young exiled prince counter attacked, forcing Wolf to guard or be hit. Wolf caught Zuko's punch and threw it aside. Creating the opening, Wolf poked Zuko with two fingers. He was smiling slightly. "I win."

Zuko glared. "I'm not through yet."

"Good to hear." Wolf took a couple steps back.

The two resumed the starting positions. Again, Wolf pressed the first attack. He moved just a little faster than he had the first time. Wolf threw a punch. Zuko ducked slightly, redirecting the blow over his head. Continuing the motion, Zuko spun and swiped Wolf's legs out. Wolf fell. Zuko stood quickly and pointed towards Wolf.

"Not so tough now, are you?"

"That was a good one, Zuko. You win that round." Wolf stood, smiling. He was really enjoying himself. "I think it would be best for now if we have a decisive round and be done. Jin won't be too angry with us that way."

"Who cares what she thinks," Zuko muttered. "It works, though. One more round, then we'll see."

Zuko slipped back to the traditional starting stance. Wolf smirked and knelt on the ground, one leg under him and the other off to one side. Zuko's brows furrowed. What kind of stance was that? Since he didn't know what to expect, Zuko kept his defenses up and stayed where he was. Wolf bolted forward while still on all fours.

……………

"I can't believe you kicked me in the head," Wolf commented, laughing slightly. He was rubbing the side of his head where Zuko had, in fact, kicked. The two were heading back to their place.

"I didn't know what to expect. What did you want me to do?" Zuko replied defensively.

"Hold back?" Wolf partially asked. "Ok, fine, not really. You did really well. That just surprised me."

"What was that supposed to be, any way?"

"I learned a lot from my wolf counter part. That was a fighting style based off of that."

"Which is why it's low to the ground."

"Exactly so."

The two were silent for a while.

"The trees are nice," Zuko mused quietly.

"They at the end of their season. If you had come here a little earlier, you could have seen them in full bloom. That's a sight to see."

Zuko nodded, expecting nothing more. Quietly, almost inaudibly, the fallen prince asked, "What did he do?"

"What did who do to what?"

"My father. He…he marked me…" with the statement, Zuko touched the healing area beneath his left eye. "He marked me as a traitor like this. How did he mark you?"

"In a little cleaner of a way." Wolf stopped at that, and Zuko waited to hear more. Wolf glanced at Zuko, debating whether or not he wanted to continue. Seeing that Zuko was expecting more, Wolf sighed. "He branded me with the symbol of the aconite."

"The aconite?" Zuko asked with astonishment as if to confirm that he had heard correctly.

"Yeah. I don't know if the meaning's changed any these past years, but the mark is still there, and it will always mean the same thing to me."

"It's a praise to the enemy," Zuko muttered.

"A praise and a curse, both at the same time."

"I would suppose it would be. Can…can I see it?"

"No, not now. It's bad to show a Firebender marks like this."

"I'm an outcast now as well. It shouldn't matter."

"Sometime later."

"All right. Later," Zuko agreed. He was starting to understand Wolf a lot better now. He was very proud of who he was right now, but he seemed to be ashamed of the way he had become that person. Zuko could almost understand the feeling.

"Mind if I ask a question?" Wolf asked. Zuko shook his head. "You could have given Ozai a run for his money. I think you might have even been able to win, even. So, why didn't you fight?"

Zuko froze for a moment. Wolf noticed his eyes widen slightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," Wolf muttered.

Zuko shook his head, clearing the sudden spread of emotions and started walking again. "No. I…I didn't fight because I shouldn't have. He's my father, and I needed to be punished. I wasn't scared of him. I think I could have fought against him and won, but that just wouldn't be right, would it?"

Wolf smiled slightly. "No, it wouldn't have been right. You're still young, not quite old enough to be a Fire Lord. Not yet any way. Maybe in a couple more years."

Zuko shook his head. "Not any more. I'm an exile."

Wolf smirked. "There are ways, Zuko. There are ways."

They made it back to the hut a little after that.

"Welcome back!" Jin called, skipping into the room as they entered. In her hands, she had a plate with odd white blobs on it.

"What are those supposed to be?" Wolf asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the monstrosities on the plate.

"Rice balls," Jin replied proudly.

"Are we supposed to eat them?"

"Yes. Rice balls are good snacks, especially after training, because they are light and healthy."

"Usually, I'm not one to argue, but it looks like that rice melted. I'm fine for now," Wolf slipped past Jin and went to a back room.

"Zuko, would you like to try one?" Jin asked, hopeful.

"A rice ball?" Zuko asked. Wolf had been right, they looked awful.

"They're kinda hard to mold, that' why they look…weird."

Zuko picked one up. Part of it started slipping through his fingers while the other half tried sticking. Hoping it wouldn't kill him, Zuko took a small bite. He walked past Jin to sit at the table.

"Wolf's missing out. They aren't bad."

"You like them?" Jin exclaimed. She pranced to set the tray with the rice ball monsters on the table next to Zuko. "I can make more! The book said that you could put little fillings in them. I thought I'd try it next time…"

Zuko sighed as he attempted to eat the rice ball. Jin kept talking about random things, and Zuko only paid half attention.

……………

……………

Chapter 9 – END

……………

……………


	10. Chapter 10

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 10

A month went by. Zuko burns had healed nicely and he had spared with Wolf several times. Jin had slunk off one day and returned with Zuko's swords.

The Fire Nation outcasts were lounging about. There really was nothing to do for the war effort at this time, especially with the winter coming. Wolf had talked about going up north to see if he could get the northern Water Tribe to contribute, but that would be weeks later if he decided to go through with the plan.

Jin came into the room with a tray laden with tea. She glanced at the three for a moment before setting the tea on the table. "I think it wants to rain out there," she informed the men quietly.

Iroh made a disgusted face.

"I hate the rain," Zuko commented, almost angrily.

Wolf shrugged. It might not be the best of things, but it was necessary. Besides, a dislike for rain was only natural for a Firebender.

"I'm sorry," Jin replied. She liked the rain, but since Zuko said he hated it, she wasn't going to say that.

There was silence again as the group served their own tea and drank it.

Half way through his cup, Wolf froze with it halfway between the saucer and his mouth. This caught Iroh's attention. He looked at Wolf, who had a look of hard concentration on.

"What is wrong, Wolf?" Iroh asked.

Wolf shook his head slightly, brining himself back to the room. Now everyone was looking at him. "I forgot to do something. I might want to before the rain starts." Wolf stood and set his tea on the table before walking into a side room. He returned minutes later, throwing a cloak over his shoulders. "Start supper in an hour. If I'm not back, start without me."

"Ok. What'd you forget?" Jin asked.

Wolf stopped at the door. "Just a little something," Wolf replied before leaving.

"Well, that's a little strange," Jin muttered.

"I wonder what he could have forgotten. It must be really embarrassing if he didn't tell us," Iroh said. He had a feeling it was something very serious that Wolf had heard something and didn't want any one else to know or worry. Chances were that they would find out soon enough.

……………

An hour passed. Jin started working on cooking a dinner. She was cutting meat for soup when Zuko came into the kitchen. Jin glanced over at the exiled prince before continuing for a few seconds. With her attention half distracted, cutting things was very hazardous.

"Ouch," she muttered. She looked at her hand. Her finger had a nice long slice in it that started oozing blood. She set the knife down.

"What happened?" Zuko asked. He sounded slightly worried.

"I just cut myself. Its just a little cut, but I need to wrap it up before I finish. Good thing it's on my left hand, right?"

Zuko sighed and shook his head.

Jin was too busy working on ripping a strip of cloth from her apron to notice the motion.

"Here, let me help," Zuko commanded. He stepped up to Jin, took the cloth and wrapped it around the wounded finger.

"Thank you," Jin whispered as he tied it.

"There. Now, how big does the meat need to be?" Zuko asked, turning to the food and picking up the knife.

"No, you don't have to cut it," Jin practically whined.

"Girls shouldn't have to cut meat."

"Are you saying I can't handle sharp pointy objects?"

"No. I just don't think that you should have to cut food with your skills with sharp objects. You cut yourself once, that should be enough for today."

"Fine. I see your point." Relieved of her current job, Jin found herself slightly bored. She wandered around the kitchen. She trailed over to the soup and looked inside. The yellowish liquid bubbled slightly. She started at it, thinking. What to put it beef soup? Carrots, which she had already cut up, and what else? Potatoes.

Settled on adding potatoes to the mix, Jin went into the cupboard where the potatoes were kept. She pulled two out and shut the cupboard. The loudest noise she made was shutting the door, causing Zuko to jump slightly.

"Sorry," Jin muttered. She sat and pulled out a kunai, a small dagger that had been sharpened on both sides. It was a ninja's favorite weapon, easy to conceal and deadly. Also great for skinning vegetables. Jin put the kunai to good use pealing the first potato.

"The beef goes into the pot now, right?" Zuko asked.

Without looking up, Jin nodded. "Yup." She listened as Zuko walked over to the pot. Splashes were heard as the meat was added. Zuko walked back over to the counter and set the cutting stone back.

Jin continued her work. She finished the first one and started on the second. She could feel Zuko watching her. She blushed slightly and concentrated harder on pealing the potato. Jin felt warm hands wrap gently around her wrists. She looked up to find Zuko as the owner.

"Give that here."

"No. It's my potato. Get your own." Jin looked back down at her work. "It's done anyway."

Zuko pulled Jin up. He held out his hand for the potato. Jin pouted slightly.

"Give me the potato."

"I'm not doing my job if you cut everything up."

"Give me the potato."

Reluctantly, Jin handed over the skinned potatoes. Zuko took it to the cutting stone and cut it in half. "If you don't hurry, I'll cut both of them."

Jin perked up as she realized what he was saying. She pranced over to the stone and worked on cutting her half into little, bite sized pieces. They finished at about the same time. Jin took the cutting stone and added the veggies into the stew. On her way back, she tripped. With a little 'eep' she fell forward.

Zuko caught her and pulled her upright. The stone hit the floor and skittered away. Jin looked up at Zuko. He still had one arm wrapped loosely around her holding her steady.

"Thank you," she whispered for the second time.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. It just startled me."

"I see."

Jin leaned up. Now was the time, her mind whispered.

A loud rumble caused both of them to jump.

"That sounded like Fire Nation," Zuko mused.

Jin sighed. Zuko pulled her closer, but she shook him off. She turned away from him. "Go Zuko."

"What? No. I won't leave you."

"That was your destiny calling. Now go!" Jin shouted. She refused to turn.

Zuko looked downcast. Then, slowly, he grew determined. "I will be back."

Jin nodded. Zuko turned and left.

Jin heard Iroh ask, "Where are you going Zuko?"

"I'm going to help Wolf."

The door shut.

"I thought you liked my nephew," Iroh commented quietly.

"I…I do."

"You could have had him right now."

"Shut up. I know."

"He might die."

"I know! But…it wouldn't be right. He probably would have left weather I wanted him to or not. And if he didn't, he would have wished he did. I couldn't live with myself knowing I stopped him from doing something I know he has to do. So, I told him to go."

"You love him that much."

Jin nodded. Iroh walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "It will be all right."

Jin nodded again. She brushed at the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"It will be an hour before the soup is ready," she mumbled. "Just leave it until then." Jin started to walk out of the kitchen.

Another rumble vibrated in the room, and she braced herself against the wall. Rain began to pelt the roof.

"I advise you not to go out in this."

Jin turned, laughing sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm going to go out in the rain." She sighed. "I'll wait here. He said he will return, and I know he will."

"Such faith."

"That's about all I have right now. It's all I need." Jin turned.

When she was out of sight Iroh snuck over to the pot of soup. He stirred it and made to sample it.

"And don't touch the soup!" Jin shouted.

Iroh sighed and put the ladle full back.

……………

Iroh was sitting on the couch, where he had been for the past half hour, when Jin ran into the room. "I think I saw someone coming!"

"You think?"

"I can't see very well in the dark. The rain just makes it worse. I saw movement towards the bottom of the hill."

The door burst open. A dripping wolf stood just inside the door, panting. Quickly, Wolf transformed. He was missing his cloak and his shirt was pocked with holes. "Come on. We have to go." He looked around. "Where's Zuko?"

"He left a while ago to find you."

Wolf growled. He thought for a minute. "Iroh, you and Jin leave. Grab whatever you think is important that shouldn't fall into the Fire Nation's hands. Meet me at the western side of the island in two hours. There will be a boat, I think. If I'm not there, leave. Go back to Ba Sing Sei. You'll be safe there, at least for a little while."

"I'm coming with you!" Jin demanded.

"No, you're not. This is a life or death situation. I need to move as fast as I can. Leave with Iroh."

"Why do you always do this?"

"I'll tell you later. Hurry."

"We don't even get to eat my soup," Jin grumbled as she hurried to gather supplies.

"Be careful Wolf," Iroh ordered.

"You too." Wolf transformed back and took off back outside.

Iroh stood for a moment before following after Jin. Things were getting worse and worse.

…………..

Zuko had been sneaking around. He hadn't been out around the place, and he was pretty sure he was lost. The rain had started just after he left, so it made finding the Fire Nation difficult. It was discouraging, but he refused to give up and turn around. So he kept going forward.

Zuko heard movement just off to his left. A form leapt out of the bushes and collided with him. They rolled in the mud from the force of impact. Zuko managed to throw his attacker off and roll to his feet. He looked up and recognized who had attacked him.

"Azula?"

"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, Zuzu," Azula said casually, attempting to remove the mud from her clothes.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's fitting."

"What are you doing here?"

"What happened to your manners? Isn't it your turn to exchange a greeting with me?"

"What are you doing here, Azula?"

"So impatient. Fine, I'll tell you. Father sent me. He said that he regretted what he has done, and wants you back. So, he sent me, since we're all family. Family are the only ones that can be trusted."

"Father regrets what he did and wants me back?" Zuko asked.

"That's what he said."

Something didn't sit right. Zuko stood in the rain, thinking. "You're lying. Father doesn't ever regret anything ever."

"Actually he does," Azula paused, smirking. "He regrets not finishing you off when he had the chance!" Azula shouted before attacking. A bolt of blue lightning lanced its way through the air.

Zuko ducked and rolled. He reached for his double swords, then thought better of it. Right now, he didn't need them.

Azula attacked again. Zuko moved off to the side to avoid it. "What's wrong Zuzu? A little to wet for you?" Azula sent another bolt in his direction, which he dodged. "Can't fight me like this? It's a shame that you aren't good enough to use this kind of attack, isn't it? That's why you are an embarrassment!"

Azula continued to send her blue lightning at Zuko and he continued to evade them. Finally, Zuko slid in the mud. Azula smirked and sent a large attack at him. Zuko's hands leapt up to guard his face.

Just before he did, he saw a dark blur. Zuko heard lightning sizzle, but nothing hit. The fallen prince looked up to see Wolf standing in front of him, shaking his right hand. A near by tree was smoldering.

"What were you thinking, Zuko?" Wolf asked.

"I was going to fight to regain my honor."

"Foolish boy. With us, you have your honor. Or…maybe it's just that honor doesn't matter that much with us."

"Why did you get in my way?" Azula asked loudly.

"Because I promised Iroh nothing would happen to Zuko."

"Ah, you must be Wolf. My father told me about you. How you are even more disgraceful than Zuzu. An outcast Firebender who can't even bend anymore. Not even a savage, nothing more than a beast."

Wolf smiled wickedly. He spread his arms wide. "What can I say? He's got me pegged."

Suddenly, a blur flew into the area directly at Wolf. Wolf stepped back and pulled his arm up. The blur spun in a couple circles before hitting a tree and sliding down to stand.

Despite the wet look of her hair, the girl wore an excited smile. Wolf was reminded of Jin.

"Need help Azula?" the girl asked.

"About time Ty Lee."

"Zuzu! How are you? It's been a long time, hasn't it? What happened to your face? Oh, wait, Azula told me about it. Wow, it looks bad. So many things happened when I went away."

Wolf decided that, even though they looked alike, Ty Lee and Jin were different. Jin at least had some self-control and limits.

"More fight, less talk," Azula commanded.

"All right Azula! Um, can I fight against the other guy? I can't fight against Zuzu. I always remember how fun it was to play with him. I think you'd fight against him better anyway. That way, if I mess up, it won't be as horrible. K?"

"That's what I planned on."

"Watch it Wolf. She knows her pressure points," Zuko warned.

Wolf smiled. "Great."

Wolf attacked first. He dashed towards Ty Lee. She bounced off of the tree and jumped over his head. She tried to attack Wolf's chest area, but he blocked with his right hand.

A little bit of Azula's lightning had stayed with Wolf as static that even the rain couldn't erase. That little bit sparked with the contact. "Ow, you bit me!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

Ty Lee noticed what he had done, and smiled. "That was stupid. Now you can't attack with that hand. I'm sure your not left handed."

Wolf pushed her back. "Actually, I can't feel this hand. I think it became numb when I caught that lightning."

"Man. That's not fun." Mai bounded back and attacked again.

While Wolf was dealing with Ty Lee, Zuko and Azula continued their fight. Azula continued to throw her lightning and Zuko would always sidestep. This time, he was getting closer with every step.

Finally, he got close. He drew the double swords swiftly. Azula chuckled and sent another blast.

It traveled the length of the blade without hesitation. Zuko froze as the lightning crawled up his arm and down the right side of his body into the ground. His arm dropped and the blade stuck into the ground. As much as Zuko told his arm to move, it didn't listen, it just hung limply. Aside from his arm, the entire area the lightning touched tingled unpleasantly.

"Still not so special, are we?" Azula taunted.

With a shout, Zuko leapt at Azula, swinging the other blade.

Wolf was doing fairly well against Ty Lee. She was fast and nimble, but Wolf kept a good eye on her and blocked using his hand when necessary.

"Come on! Let me hit you!" Ty Lee shouted.

"I'm really going to listen to that," Wolf replied.

Ty Lee attacked with new vigor, if that was possible. Wolf growled and threw her off again. Before she could completely recover and bounce back, he transformed. She wouldn't be able to pressure point an animal to well.

"Wow, that's so cool. I wish I could do that. I wonder what I'd be…" Ty Lee had slid in the mud and now stood several feet away.

Wolf lunged at her. She took a step back and slipped. She kept her balance, but it wasn't enough. The large wolf ran into her broad side. The pair slid into a tree. Wolf stepped back, but Ty Lee was unconscious and landed face down in the mud.

Wolf turned in time to see Zuko attack.

Azula took a step back to brace herself from Zuko's attack. She caught the blade on her metal wrist guard and deflected it. She pushed Zuko back with a strong shove to his side, adding a jolt of lightning. Zuko fell back and landed in a kneeling position.

With an evil smiled on her face, Azula raised her hand to finish her opponent. The electricity gathered, running up her arm. Right when she was about to release it, Wolf grabbed her hand and channeled the lightning away.

Azula growled. She twisted her wrist around in Wolf's grasp and grabbed his in turn. She pulled his arm up and around his head and held it to his back. Switching hands quickly, she placed one on his opposite shoulder. A small bit of static ran down the arm and back up it, searching for a ground and finding none. Azula nudged his feet apart so he was closer to her level.

"You know, for a leader of a rebellion, you aren't to smart."

Wolf tried to pull free, but Azula jerked harder.

"I don't think you would be to tough if you couldn't walk."

Azula stepped down onto Wolf's leg, right below the knee. The joint popped loudly before bending into an odd angle.

As Wolf fell, Zuko attacked. With a flurry of swipes, he pushed Azula back.

Wolf popped his knee back into place and stood. He couldn't put any weight on it, but he was standing. "Zuko, let's go!"

Zuko glanced back for a second. Azula caught the movement and lashed out. Her sharp nails caught Zuko's forehead and tore ragged scratches. With a cry of anger, Zuko smacked Azula in the side with the flat of his sword. She collapsed.

Zuko snatched up the second blade and ran over to help support Wolf. The two started quickly for the meeting place.

……………

Jin was pacing back and fourth in the wet sand. Iroh was sitting on the prow of the small wooden boat, waiting.

"We need to leave now," he commented.

"Five more minutes. They'll be here, I know it!"

"You said five more minutes five minutes ago. You said it five minutes before that, and five minutes before that. The bad weather isn't even waiting that long."

"I know. Five more minutes, then we'll leave."

Five minutes passed slowly for the soaking duo.

"Five minutes is up. We need to go. Come, get in."

"No, no. Five more."

"Five more. This is it."

"Iroh!" a faint voice called.

Iroh looked to try and pinpoint the source. He saw two figures in the distance hobbling in their direction.

"Iroh, cast off!"

Iroh climbed out of the boat and started pushing it into the water. The wet sand made getting a footing hard, so it was taking twice as long as usual.

Wolf and Zuko were halfway to the shore when Jin spotted something.

"Zuko, behind you!" she shouted, running toward the two.

Zuko and Wolf glanced back. Azula was racing towards them. The two tried to hasten their escape, but Wolf's leg gave out, pulling the two ground-ward. Zuko let go of Wolf and turned to face Azula once more. Jin arrived.

"Take Wolf and go. I'll hold her off," Zuko ordered.

Wolf wrapped his arm around Jin's shoulder and she helped pull him up. "I don't want to leave you."

"Just get to the boat. I'll follow."

"Right."

Jin and Wolf made their way slowly to the boat.

Azula slowed as she approached Zuko. "Tired of running, Zuzu? Or did you finally accept your punishment?"

"Fight me Azula."

"Oh, I see. You're being noble. You're going to sacrifice yourself so that your friends can escape. How sick."

Zuko backed up a couple of steps and glanced back, checking on where Jin and Wolf were.

Azula attacked. She switched to close combat, using the stances for fire bending. Due to the wetness, no fire could be created.

Zuko defended with his sword and attacked. Azula blocked with her wrist guard, then attacked with her nails. They cut through the wet fabric of Zuko's shirt and tore the skin underneath.

Zuko kept most of his attention on the battle, but occasionally checked his companion's positions. Zuko attacked quicker. They traded several blows until Jin and Wolf reached the boat.

"Zuko, come on," Jin called as loud as she could. Iroh was helping Wolf into the boat.

Zuko dropped to the ground and spun. His spinning kick caught Azula unaware, and she fell. Zuko leapt up and sprinted towards the boat. He dropped his sword and ran harder. He saw Jin leap in and look towards him.

"Behind you!" she shouted.

Without looking back, Zuko kept running. He heard the lightning blast, but ignored it. The blast traveled directly where he wanted it, right to the blade. A little later, he made it to the boat. It was floating a little ways off shore, and he splashed through the water and pushed it a little farther. Iroh and Jin helped Zuko get in and Iroh started rowing.

Jin yelped as Azula sent another blast in their direction. Iroh stood quickly, hand raised with his thumb, middle and index fingers pointed out. The lightning hit it. He made a quick movement and sent it right back in the direction it came. Satisfied, he sat back down and began to row.

"You know how to handle this, right Iroh? The storm and all?" Wolf asked quietly.

"Yes. I wasn't in the Fire Nation army for nothing."

Wolf nodded. "Take us through to Ba Sing Sei."

……………

……………

Chapter 10 – END

……………

……………

A/N: See, a little more character abuse. I feel really bad about what I do to them…most of the time. I hope I keep everyone mostly in character, and it's not Mary Sue. I hate Mary Sue. Yes, I am a Zuko/Jin fan. It makes a heck of a lot more sense than Zuko and Katara, if you ask me. Personal opinion. If you don't like it, don't read. If you do, great! So, I just wanted to say that.

As always, R&R!


	11. Chapter 11

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 11

It was a wet and bedraggled group that made it to Ba Sing Sei. The storm had threatened to pour all through the night and into the next day. A strong wind blew them slightly off course, so when they had finally made it to land, it was a farther walk to Ba Sing Sei.

To make matters worse, Wolf couldn't walk. He sat about grumbling as the rest looked for wood. They eventually found some that would work to keep Wolf's knee from moving, and set it up. Jin lashed it together with her dark green hair ribbon that she had been wearing.

"I am definitely changing that when we get there," Wolf muttered.

They also found a long branch that was thin enough to work as a staff. Wolf tried it out and found that it worked. The four set off at a slow pace. It took the rest of the day to get Ba Sing Sei in sight. They set up a small camp for the night. Jin was too tired to cook, and the three men couldn't, so they had a cold meal. They set out early the next day and got to the city walls by mid day.

Once inside, they went directly to Wolf's hovel. They decided that it would be unwise for the men to leave. Ozai probably had issued a high bounty for the capture or death of them, so it would be best to lie low for a while. Jin left to get provisions and returned.

……………

A week passed. Except for Jin, they were all extremely bored.

"Can I take Zuko out tonight?" Jin asked. She had pulled Zuko into the room by his arm.

Wolf was lounging on the futon that was currently in the couch position, reading a book. Iroh was in the back room, looking for something to read.

"Sure, go ahead," Wolf replied.

"Thank you!" Jin squealed.

"Not so loud," Wolf muttered.

"Why are we celebrating?" Iroh asked, coming into the room with a book in hand.

"I'm taking Zuko out," Jin replied.

"That's not a good idea." 

"What? Why not? Wolf said I could!"

"Wolf wasn't thinking. We are refugees. Who knows how much Ozai will give to have us killed."

"But…it's dark. The people won't know, they don't even know there's a war. Zuko's getting bored. He should see this place. Please," Jin begged. She had a deceiving innocent look on her face.

"Come on, Iroh. Let the kids go out for a night."

"All right. I still don't think this is a good idea, but I can't say no to all three of you. You two be careful."

"Thank you!" Jin gave Iroh a hug before pulling Zuko towards the door.

"Be back in an hour," Iroh called, but Jin was already out the door.

Wolf was chuckling. "That went well."

……………

"Where should we go first?" Jin asked. She had grabbed Zuko's hand and refused to let go. She was pulling him around, but he didn't let go either.

"Maybe we could go…no that place is gone. I don't know why. Not that way, I can shop by myself. I don't have that much money any way. Are you hungry?" Jin stopped in mid ramble and step and turned to look at Zuko.

"Just a little," Zuko admitted.

Jin started walking again. "I know this great place. I used to come here with my mom all the time when I was a kid. Before…you know…but any way, there was this really great place. My mom and I always used to eat there. It's actually a restaurant. I haven't seen any thing like it outside of here. It's so cool. I haven't been out that way since we've been here, I wonder if it's still running. It should be, because, like I said, it's one of the only ones, but it might not be. Oh, I hope it is!"

Jin wormed her way through the diminishing crowd. Just as she had thought, the darkness was driving people off the streets. She kept looking around, checking her position. They entered the middle ring of the city and still, Jin kept going.

"We're close! I can smell it!" Jin muttered. She quickened her pace. Finally, they got to the restaurant. There were only a few other people at the place.

They got a table outside and set up their orders. "We have to get a big order, that way Uncle Iroh and Wolf can have some," Jin whispered. She leaned forward a little, as if it was a secret, to say, "I don't think they can make anything but tea." Jin leaned back and giggled. Zuko smiled a little.

"So, how do you like Ba Sing Sei?" Jin asked.

"So far, it's ok. I never thought I would be here."

"I didn't think I would be here again, either. I miss it." Jin looked out at the dark streets.

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

They were quiet. The meals came after a while, and Jin eagerly immersed herself in eating. Zuko was cautious at first, wondering how the food would taste. It was bland, lacking any spice, and almost sweet. It was a big step away from the food of the Fire Nation, but Zuko found himself enjoying it.

"How do you like it?" Jin inquired quietly.

"It's good."

"I'm glad you like it."

They fell silent again. They ate until they were satisfied. Jin asked for a box so that they could take the rest of it home and paid the tab. After the food was in the boxes, they left the restaurant.

"Can we go somewhere?" Jin asked.

"I don't mind."

Jin smiled slightly. Again, she grabbed Zuko's hand and started off. No one was on the streets now, so Jin was able to go at her own pace. She walked a little way on the main road that the restaurant was on, then took a sudden turn and went down an alley. The alley opened back out into a small square. In the center, a fountain squirted water.

"Aw, the lights are out," Jin murmured sadly. Crestfallen, her eyes fell to the ground. "I wanted you to see it."

"All it needs are lights?"

"Yeah."

"Hold these." Zuko handed the boxes of food to Jin as he walked past. She looked up to watch what he was going to do.

Zuko walked up to the edge of the fountain. He looked around, pinpointing the wicks. There were some in the lanterns and some on candles floating in the water. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, Zuko was moving. He sent little flicks of fire at each of the wicks, directing the flame with his fingers. As each wick caught, the square became slightly lighter. When he lit the last one, Zuko stood up straight and looked around.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Jin exclaimed. She hurried over to Zuko's side and grabbed his hand. Curious, she leaned against his shoulder. "It's so much more beautiful than I remember it!"

"It is pretty," Zuko muttered in agreement.

"Zuko, do you like me?"

"Yes."

"Like, more than a friend like?"

"I don't know."

"Oh," Jin felt a little saddened by that.

"What about me? Uncle said that you've liked me for a long time. Do you still like me after…" he trailed off, looking away, but his hand touched the bottom of the scar on his face.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"I was drawn to you. I thought that you weren't at all like your father, like most fire benders, even. You actually looked me in the eye when I served you tea, and food. You said thank you. You seem so shy and quiet, but you always try your best to please people and to prove yourself. I think those are admirable qualities. You haven't lost them, Zuko. You are still you. And, I like you for you."

"I see."

"My mom took me here once. She said that if I ever got a boy friend, then I should take him here, show him the lights, and we would be happy. I wanted to show you, Zuko."

"That was very…nice of you."

"Zuko…can we…you know…" Jin paused awkwardly.

"Can we what?" Zuko looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Kiss?"

Zuko glanced away with a slight blush.

Jin looked down, also embarrassed. "I'm sorry. That was so…"

Jin was unable to finish the sentence. Zuko had turned his head and given her a small kiss. He turned away immediately, let go of her hand, and stepped away. Jin smiled weakly. She felt a tear at the corner of her eye and brushed it away.

"Shouldn't we head back now?" Zuko asked quietly.

"I…I guess."

Zuko turned back around and took the couple of steps back to where Jin was standing. They both reached for the others hand. With hands clasped, the two left through the side alley.

What they didn't see was one of the Dai Li watching them on the rooftops. When he saw the two leave, he disappeared.

……………

"Master, I have found one of them," the Dai Li agent exclaimed as he bowed to the leader.

"One of who?" Wong Feng asked. He was a well-mannered man with sharp, cunning eyes and well managed black hair. He was dressed richly, a symbol of his high rank.

"One of the Fire Nation men, the ones on the posters we have! It was the young one."

"Really? I wouldn't think that any of them would be about in our city."

"It was really him, sir. I saw him. He had a scar, like this," the Dai Li agent covered one of his eyes with his hand.

"That would be him."

"He was with some girl. It looked like they were a couple."

"Excellent. Where do they live?"

"Uh…I don't know sir."

"You saw them, but you didn't stick around long enough to find out where they live?"

"Uh…no sir."

"Fool."

"I can find her again, sir. I promise. I think I might have seen her in the market place once before."

"That seems a little low. But what should I care. With the capture of the rouge Firebenders, the Fire Lord won't dare touch Ba Sing Sei. Or, better yet, we could get rich. Find the girl."

"Yes sir!" With that, the Dai Li agent disappeared.

……………

Jin was extremely energetic as she went through the market the next day. The sun was shinning, the air was cool, and there was still hope that she could get together with Zuko! The thought made her want to buy something nice, like a necklace, or a nice dressy out fit. Jin realized she had very little money left after her grocery shopping.

_I'll just borrow it for a little while. Maybe they'll let me put a down payment on it…_She searched around for a good idea.

A richly dressed lady walking by had a good idea. Hairpins. They jingled as the lady walked by, catching Jin's attention. Jin smiled evilly. _Hairpins, why didn't I think of that? They're sharp, pointy, deadly, pretty cheap, and hidden right out in the open. They're perfect._

Now that she had found something to buy, she needed to find a small stand or store that would sell such items. She explored around the area for a little bit. A flash caught her eye. Jin turned quickly to see a small glass flower. It was small and a reddish color, with a well represented green stem and little leaves. It was well sculpted.

"That was made in by a Firebender," the shopkeeper explained, catching sight of a possible customer. "I usually don't go for anything made by them, but this was just so beautiful I accepted it. It's a perfect gift for a mother."

"My mother has been dead for a time," Jin commented.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"You said it was made by a Firebender?"

"Oh, yes. It's authentic."

_Maybe Zuko would like it?_ Jin thought. _It's a flower, but it doesn't look girly. _"How much?"

"I am charging twenty coins. It's a rare find."

Jin brought out the small bag that had all of the money in it. She had eighteen. "I don't know if it's worth quite that much. I wanted to get it for my future husband…" Jin lied. "He's been feeling so sick lately. I wanted to get him something special, to encourage him to get better. But even if it is only twenty coins…I don't think so."

"Medicine is so expensive. You know, I think I could part with it for fifteen. I traded it for an item worth ten, so I will still be making a profit."

Jin smiled. "Thank you so much. I'm sure he'll love it!" Jin handed over the fifteen coins. The sick puppy routine worked more often than it failed. Taking the flower gingerly and putting it in the fold of her cheongsam, Jin turned to go homeward and give Zuko the gift.

She was too excited and didn't watch where she was going. Jin realized she was going the wrong way and stopped short. Her quick lack of motion caused someone to bump into her. Jin looked up quickly, catching only a quick glance of the person she had offended. He was tall, and wore a large hat that covered his face. She bowed respectively.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Please forgive my rudeness." Jin straightened. From what she could tell, the man didn't appear to be upset about it. Confident in that decision, she turned to go home.

Jin got several steps away before something wrapped around her mouth. Strange metal claws grabbed her wrists and pulled them behind her back. Through those bonds, she was pulled backwards into a gap between buildings. Hands caught her shoulders and twisted her around. It was the man she had accidentally bumped into.

"By order of the leader of the Dai Li, Wong Feng, I arrest you."

Jin mumbled some words that were indiscernible. She kicked the guy in the shin and tried to run for it. The chains attached to the claws around her wrists pulled her back. Jin was slammed into the side of the building. The man pinned her legs to the wall and wrapped his hands around her neck. She struggled to break free. Slowly, the lack of oxygen took over and Jin blacked out.

The man picked her up and disappeared.

……………

……………

Chapter 11 – END

……………

……………

A/N: Cliff Hanger! Sorry, but you have to wait. Up the suspense! Please don't hurt me. The chapter was long enough, and the next one is long enough, so be happy! There was a little more of the only couple I'm going to use (yes, I'm serious.) and it was kinda like the episode, only not. Well, hope you like it!

Of course, R&R!


	12. Chapter 12

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 12

"Jin hasn't come back yet," Zuko informed the other two.

"We know this," Wolf said without looking up from his book.

"She's been gone for three hours."

"Jin's a girl. Girls can shop for hours on end."

"Jin doesn't do that."

"If you're so concerned, go look for her."

"Fine. I'll be back." Zuko left. He was gone for only two minutes when the door opened and he came back in. "Look at this!"

Zuko thrust a small poster at Wolf. Iroh came over to read it over Wolf's shoulder.

Zuko was furious. "I can't believe they would sink so low. They saw the two of us together and now…"

"Why would they kidnap Jin?" Wolf mused.

"It's obvious," Zuko snapped.

"We are wanted men. They want to get to us, but they cannot find us. Now, we will come to them," Iroh informed Wolf.

"Where's the Dai Li?" Zuko asked.

"Just a minute. I'll show you." Wolf struggled to a standing position. He grimaced when he tried putting weight on his injured leg.

"Wolf, I would stay here if I were you," Iroh advised.

"That creep is messing with my pack. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"It's my pack too, Wolf," Zuko growled. "You always do this. Something happens and you always want to be right there. But you can't always be there."

Wolf stood speechless for a moment. "Iroh," Wolf whined. "Talk some sense into him."

"Stand down on this one, Wolf," Iroh decided. "You are in no shape to go anywhere. Zuko needs to do this on his own. In a pack, wolves need to look out for their mates. Did you know that, or do I know more about wolves' mating habits that the great Wolf?"

Wolf growled slightly. "Be careful, Zuko. It's a trap, and you're walking into it. Good luck." Wolf eased himself back down onto the couch.

Zuko nodded. "How do I get there?"

Wolf pulled the title page from the book he was reading and drew a map. It looked nothing like a city, but Zuko was sure he could follow it. With a few quick farewells and a last minute preparation, Zuko was off to face down the Dai Li.

……………

"What is she doing here alone?" a voice hissed.

Jin heard the voice, but she couldn't see anything. She tried moving, and found herself chained to a wall.

"Well, I brought her here. I thought that's what you wanted," a second voice explained.

"You were supposed to follow her back to the place where the fugitives are staying!"

"Oh. Ops. It might work any way, right?"

Jin's vision was spotty now. She could barely see the outlines of two men. The shorter one smacked the other.

"Leave me now," the short one ordered. The other one bowed and left the room, shutting the door as he left.

The short man turned to Jin. "Ah, I see you are coming to."

Jin shook her head slightly, trying to get rid of the black spots in her vision. It didn't seem to help but the spots shrunk.

"I am Wong Feng, head of the Dai Li. One of my agents informed me of a girl that was seen with an outcast from the Fire Nation who just so happens to also be an outlaw. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

_It's my fault!_ Jin realized. _If I hadn't pushed to get Zuko out, I wouldn't be here. Oh, but it was so worth it! I hope Zuko doesn't come to save me. I mean, it would be good and all, it would prove he cares, but it's not worth it!_

"Yes, I know what you're talking about."

"Then you know where he is hiding."

"Maybe."

"Is he living alone, or with someone?" Long Feng started walking around the room. Jin didn't answer. "Maybe some more Fire Nation outlaws?"

"Maybe. There's a lot of them, you know."

"One named…Wolf."

"I don't want to talk to you! Let me go!" Jin shouted, pulling against the chains.

Long Feng smirked. "I take it you do know what I'm talking about."

"Spirits can eat you."

"Tell me, girl. Where is it that the fallen prince is hiding?"

"I'd rather die than tell you anything!"

"That could be arranged. Unfortunately, I need you alive for a while. Despite the bumbling of that fool, I can still lure the prince here."

"_You're_ a fool. You think he likes me? He wouldn't risk his life for a girl like me. He just went out with me that one time because he was bored. Now, let me go!"

"Maybe I should take you to Lake Laogai. Then, I could get all of the information I want, and set you up to kill him. I will if you don't stay on topic."

"I am on topic," Jin mumbled.

"Is he living on his own?"

"Who?" Jin asked, a daring look in her eyes.

"The fallen prince, Zuko."

"I don't know. I met him in the streets. I lost my mother to the Fire Nation a few years back, and when I saw the scar on his face, I was reminded of that. I thought he might be caught in the same circumstances as I am, so I started talking to him. I kinda pulled him into that…date-ish thing, and that was that. I left him to go home on my own, so I didn't see him go home."

"Quaint. You're lying to protect him, when you're sure he won't even come to save you."

"So what?"

"You didn't deny it. How foolish."

"That's just how I am."

"So, is the prince living with other outcasts?"

"Maybe."

"Tell me what you know, and I'll make this painless," Long Feng threatened, walking towards her.

"Fine. Yes, Zuko is living with other outcasts. People like that have to stick together."

"Where is it that they are living?"

"I'm not going to answer that."

Angered by her continued resistance, Long Feng hit Jin in the side of the face. Jin saw stars for a moment. Long Feng grabbed her chin in his hands.

"Tell me where they are living," he hissed.

Jin made a face and tried pulling away. Hadn't that creep ever heard of mouthwash? "All right," Jin whispered, putting all of the defeat she could in those two words. "I'll tell you."

Long Feng let go and stepped away again. "Tell me."

"There's a nice area, just a little outside the gates of Ba Sing Sei. Wolf knew it would be too dangerous for them to live in the city, so they built a little hut outside the walls, and that's where they live. Please, don't hurt him. Don't hurt Zuko."

"The Fire Lord wanted the traitors alive. He never said that he wanted them unharmed," Long Feng laughed. "Thank you for the information."

"Let me go!"

"No. Incase you are lying, I will keep you here so that you can't run and warn the Firebenders. Now, you be good and keep quiet." Long Feng headed for the door.

"I will not be quiet."

"Yes, you will be." Long Feng flicked his hand at Jin. Rock gloves flew through the air and wrapped around Jin's head to cover her mouth. Satisfied that she couldn't make any real sounds, Long Feng left.

……………

Night was near at hand. Zuko had ignored this fact for the entirety of his search. Wolf's map had led him into five dead ends, but he had no other lead. Spirits didn't ask for directions and he needed to keep his guise up long enough to find Jin. Through the third level and most of the second, he had traveled using back roads where he could, and zipping through crowded streets mostly unnoticed.

The coming of night only encouraged his role as a spirit. He scaled the second wall easily, entering into the rich first layer of Ba Sing Sei. The houses were nice and orderly. Zuko scaled around, figuring that's what Wolf's sad excuse for directions meant. About half way around, the houses thinned out. Zuko spotted a darker looking structure over the top of a wall and knew he had found his destination. Zuko hopped the short wall and headed for the tower.

Just as he approached, several small rocks attacked him. He drew his double swords; confident enough is his own abilities to avoid revealing a part of his identity with flames. The rocks fell as pebbles around him. The rocks grew larger in size as he got closer to the doors. Zuko was forced to ignore some of them and duck or roll to avoid them.

Finally, he got to the door. Zuko rammed into it, but it didn't move. The Blue Spirit turned to face the Dai Li guards. He waited patiently as they sent little rocks –which oddly enough looked like hands- and small boulders. These were easily deflected and destroyed. Figuring to get it over with quickly, the Dai Li sent a large boulder.

Zuko ducked under it and it crashed into the door, splintering it. The Blue Spirit turned to look at the damage, finding it more than acceptable. He glanced over his shoulder and waved a thanks before taking off into the labyrinth of the Dai Li hide out.

……………

"I'm bored," Wolf whined.

"I know this," Iroh replied. Wolf had insisted on saying that every five minutes.

"I hope Zuko's all right. I hope he finds Jin."

"Yes, I do too."

"I'll miss Jin's cooking. Even those rice piles."

Iroh nodded.

"Do you think Zuko'd come back here, once he finds her?"

Iroh didn't answer.

"That's not really a good idea, is it?"

"No, not really."

"Maybe we should go find them?"

"I thought we decided it would be best to stay out of this. We have to leave here soon, any way."

"Yeah, but…what if Zuko gets caught? He'll be handed back to Ozai, powerless to stop anything. Ozai will kill him."

"Yes, that is what would happen."

"And you're alright with that?"

"I would rather not have to go through loosing my nephew."

Wolf smirked. "I see. You're as ready for action as I am, but your reason's driving it out."

"If that is what you think."

"Come on, Iroh! Let's go. Please! For Zuko and Jin."

"It would be best if we weren't seen while we do this. It would not do to make Zuko angry."

"Yes!" Wolf jumped up, in his excitement forgetting about his knee. With a small whimper, he sat back down. "Can you find my stick?"

Sighing, Iroh went to play fetch. He didn't have far to go before finding the staff. Smiling and humming a tune, Wolf limped into a back room and came out a few minutes later with a pile of black cloth.

"I knew these would come in handy," Wolf said proudly.

"What is this?"

"Ninja attire. All good ninja wear black. At least, that's what Jin said."

Wolf and Iroh got dressed in the black outfits. Soon, the pair were out, roaming the streets in search of Zuko.

……………

Jin had fallen asleep. It was extremely uncomfortable, but it was the most interesting thing that she could do at the time. She felt some one shaking her shoulder and woke up.

Before her was a strange sight. It was a blue spirit with a wide-open mouth and crooked fangs poking out at the corners. It was dressed like a human in dark clothes that she couldn't really make out in the dark.

The spirit stood, motioning her up. With a mistrustful look, Jin stood. Gently, the spirit pushed her towards the wall and pulled her hands so that they were out in front of her body. There was a whoosh of wind. Jin saw quick flashes of blurred motion. With a clatter, the shackles around her wrists fell free.

Jin stepped forward and hugged the spirit. She needed to know that it was real and not just an illusion. _Odd_, she thought. _This spirit smells just like Zuko._

"Time to go," the spirit whispered in her ear.

Jin gasped and let go quickly. She could almost see a smirk. The Blue Spirit turned and led the way out of the room. Jin remembered the glass flower and looked. Somewhere along the way, the flower had broken. Disappointed, Jin followed the spirit.

He looked up and down the corridor before sneaking a little to the left.

"There it is! The intruder!" a voice echoed down the hall.

The Blue Spirit drew the swords and dashed towards the Dai Li agents. He dodged rock hands meant to restrain him while cutting down several opponents.

Jin grabbed a couple kunai from a pack around her ankle. She heard more people coming from the other side.

"Not good," Jin muttered to herself. "Spirit, come close to me!"

The Spirit glanced back, lashed out a couple more times, and retreated to her side.

Jin had pulled out a second type of thing from the pouch, a small round ball. As the two were closed in upon from both sides, Jin threw it onto the ground. A vapor rose in the air, providing a smoke screen. The Spirit and the girl were able to slip through the Dai Li without too much hassle.

Soon, they were out of the tower and headed for freedom. The Blue Spirit leapt onto the wall ahead of Jin. Jin almost slipped off when she tried, but the Spirit caught her helped her up the rest of the way.

They were just landing on the other side of the wall when the cry was struck up on the other side. "They went over the walls!"

Soon, there was a flood of Dai Li coming over the walls and chasing after the escapee. Jin and the Spirit ran through the high-class district until they came to a large wall. The Blue Spirit touched it, confusion emanating from the gesture.

The first of the Dai Li arrived at that time. Jin and the Spirit readied to fight, hoping that they would be able to overcome such odds.

……………

"Come on, Wolf. You can make it," Iroh prodded quietly. He stood on a low rise of a nicely built house.

"I'm trying! I just can't jump well. Life is so much easier with two legs!" Wolf hissed back.

"Climb on top of that box. See it? Right there," Iroh pointed.

"Box? What box?"

"It's right under me. I can't believe you can't see it."

"Oh, that box. It blended into the side of the house. What do you expect?" Wolf hobbled over to the box, put the staff on top of a box that was slightly taller than he was and pulled himself up. From there, he handed the stick off to Iroh and leapt for the roof. Wolf scrambled for traction, and would have fallen if he hadn't been with Iroh.

As Iroh helped pull him up, Wolf muttered, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"You wanted to do this."

"You did too. Maybe this roof thing was kinda stupid, though. I mean, look at this view. There's too many other houses in the way."

"What's that up there?" someone called from below.

Wolf and Iroh crouched. Wolf swore at the pain when his knee told him not to move that way. Iroh slunk over to the edge and peered over.

"It's a Dai Li agent," Iroh hissed.

"Great," Wolf rolled his eyes.

There was a sound of approaching footsteps and more Dai Li agents appeared.

"There's something up there. It looked like it could have been that Blue Spirit," the agent explained to his comrades.

"Surround the house!" a higher ranked agent ordered.

"Not good," Wolf grumbled.

"We could jump to the next roof," Iroh suggested in a whisper as he crawled closer.

"No, you could. Not me."

"We could wait until they find a way up, then knock them down."

"Iroh, they're Earthbenders! You can't knock down an Earthbender!"

"Well, what do you suppose we should do?"

"Try this?" Wolf pulled out a dark colored ball.

"What does it do?"

"Dunno. I found it in Jin's room."

"Let's try it, then, and pray it doesn't kill us as well."

Wolf stood as quickly as he could, using the stick as support. He hobbled over to the edge. The Dai Li agents called out, pointing at him. He threw the shadow ball over the side of the roof and ducked.

With a strange hiss, smoke filled the air. The agents were heard coughing down below. The others had run around the side to see what had happened.

Wolf and Iroh went to the other side and jumped down. Wolf staggered, but caught himself with the staff.

Wolf looked around, thinking. Which way would Zuko be likely to head? Off to one side, they heard some footsteps. Wolf threw another ball as more people came into sight. Instead of rupturing into smoke like the other one, this one exploded.

Wolf had thrown in just far enough that they didn't get caught in the massive part of the blast. "What's she trying to do, kill us?" Wolf shouted as he and Iroh started running in the opposite direction.

……………

The Blue Spirit and Jin were surrounded by agents of the Dai Li from the front, and a large unscaleable wall from behind. They had been able to wear out the first wave, but the second wave increased two fold. It seemed futile to resist, but the two were set on fighting it out to the end.

The Dai Li agents were about to leap forward for the attack when a large explosion shook the earth. The agents in the back were consumed by a small fire. The rest were thrown forward. The Blue Spirit and Jin were pushed against the wall. The spirit reacted instinctively and grabbed Jin, taking the brunt of the impact. Thick smoke surrounded the area.

Both sides struggled up. Some of the Dai Li were down for the count. The rest were lost in smoggy confusion. The Blue Spirit gently pushed Jin away. He rubbed at his shoulder, trying to relieve the dull pain.

Two figures emerged from the deep smoke. The Blue Spirit raised his swords defensively, ready to fight once again. Jin was still a little dazed and couldn't react fast enough.

With a couple more strides, the figures became discernable.

"Jin, let's go!" Wolf shouted.

"Go? Where? The wall grew or something."

Wolf and Iroh stopped in front of the young pair. The Blue Spirit had lowered his weapons. Iroh squinted at the spirit, trying to get a good look. "Zuko?"

Sighing, the spirit released the straps that held the mask onto his face. "I can't believe you don't remember this, Uncle," Zuko commented, waving the mask.

"No time for that. We need to go!" Wolf urged.

The group took off down the length of the wall, hoping that it would go back down to its normal size somewhere along the length. Instead, a short way down, there was a tall crack. Zuko slipped through easily, followed by Jin. Wolf grumbled a little about it as he inched through. Iroh got stuck.

"Come on, Iroh, suck in your gut," Wolf prodded.

"I am. I have too much gut to suck in."

"Back out and try a different angle."

Iroh tried, but found himself stuck on both sides.

"Great. We're going to get caught."

"Go on without me," Iroh ordered, gesturing off in the direction they would be going.

The unanimous group decision was "No!"

"We'll need an Earthbender to get me out now. We do not have the luxury of being caught."

Wolf leaned against the wall, pensive. "Maybe that's exactly what we want."

Before Iroh could reply, voices could be heard on the other side. "What is that?"

"It looks like…fabric? I think it's stuck in the wall."

"Actually, it looks like half of a person."

"It might be a reanimated corpse. Don't touch it!"

"Man, you're crazy. Let's just see who it is. It might be one of those outlaws the Leader was talking about."

Wolf and company heard a couple loud stomps and the wall Iroh was stuck in opened up. Wolf pulled Iroh out of the developed arch, and the four started running.

"Stop those people!"

They ran all through the second level, weaving through the streets and back ways. Eventually, they lost track of their pursuers and were able to focus on getting back. Wolf admitted to never seeing the upper rings, and that he was completely lost. Jin's only knowledge of the second level was the restaurant, which seemed to be a long way away. So, they figured they could find their way best by finding the bottom level. It seemed to take a long time for them to do so, but they eventually made it without encountering anybody. The night was late, probably closer to daybreak than midnight when the group finally entered Wolf's little apartment.

Wolf stumbled over the bags he had left by the door when they had left. "We need a light."

Iroh called up a small flame and kept in encased in his hand. Wolf leaned against the wall as the other three gathered stuff for their last minute preparations. His knee was killing him.

"You know, they'll probably burn this place down, once they find out this is where we were staying," Wolf murmured.

"Probably," Iroh agreed, setting a small bag inside a larger one.

"They're going to kill it," Wolf whined.

Iroh looked up with a look that was asking what they were going to kill and if Wolf were sane at the same time.

"They're going to kill the futon thinggy. Where am I going to find another one like it?"

"You'll just have to suffer without it."

"Aw. Someone's coming. It's…"

The door creaked open. "Is that you, Wolf?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Auntie."

The old lady shuffled into the room. "I was so worried. I saw three of you rush out of here so quickly, and you came home so late."

"We're fine. We have to go though."

"I see. I can stay here for you, so the Dai Li don't burn your house, or your futon."

"It's all right, Auntie. If it happens, it happens. I don't think they will, if they can't find a trace that we've been here."

"You are such a nice young man."

Wolf laughed quietly to himself.

"You don't want to trouble an old woman with your problems. It wouldn't be hard for me to live here for a while."

"Stay with your cats, Auntie. This lone wolf and pack have to go. The territory falls to the rats and cockroaches. Don't come back here."

"If the Dai Li ask, I don't know who you are."

"You don't really know who we are. The three of us, and Jin now, are wanted by the Fire Lord."

"That's nice. I didn't hear that. No, don't repeat yourself. It's safer that way. I just wanted to send you off properly. Take care of yourself, Wolf."

The old woman wrapped her arms around Wolf, patting his shoulder. Wolf returned the gesture.

"Now, where's that cute friend of yours?"

Wolf tensed. "I think someone's coming. They're a little way away, but we have to go now. Good bye, Auntie."

"Good bye, my lone wolf."

The old woman shuffled out the door.

Iroh crept up to Wolf. "The save was much appreciated."

"I wasn't lying. I think the Dai Li might be on to us. We have to make it out of the city before they close off the gates completely. Zuko! Jin! Let's go!"

Wolf and Iroh started picking up the bags. Zuko and Jin came and gathered the rest. They were so laden down, it was hard to get out the door. Wolf glanced back, a foreboding feeling that that was going to be the last time he saw the place. With a sigh, he turned and walked away.

……………

……………

Chapter 12 – END

……………

……………

A/N: Yay! I have reviews! Ok, now I have to make a big deal about it. See what some of you have done to me by not reviewing? Well, for starters, I'm going to say that this was one of the funnest chapters I wrote for this. Really. I had so much fun writing it.

Second: I'm going to thank my reviewers!

Well, first is to kikyogirl15. Thanks a bunch. I update Fridays usually, so check back on Saturday to find out.

And Pyro Blondie, just thanks for finally getting around to it.

A/N: End

……………


	13. Chapter 13

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 13

"Oh, come on. Why won't you let us have one?" Wolf shouted. They had left Ba Sing Sei with a decent threat to the gate watcher's life and made it to the place Wolf's friend owned. The shipwright was having a fit.

"What did you do with the last one I lent you?" Wolf opened his mouth to answer, but the shipwright over rode him. "You probably crashed it, knowing you."

"Actually, I left it on shore about ten miles down that way."

"How irresponsible of you! You said you would take care of it and return it to me when you got back. You lied to me."

"Well, stuff happened, and it just didn't work out that way."

"You could have hauled it here."

"Yeah, that would work," Wolf replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. This conversation was putting him in a bad mood, and he was close to just pummeling his long time acquaintance. "Look, you know big men. Just send some of those sailor types. It's their job to do things like that."

"You know how much I have to pay them to do that?"

"Nothing? If they want to rent your ships, they better do a little work for it. How many other shipwrights work around here?"

"I would have to pay them…nothing?" The man had stopped, Wolf's words finally sinking in. He turned to face Wolf. "You are a sneaky one."

"I have my moments."

"How big of a ship are we talking about?"

"Big enough for the four of us to go a long way."

"How far are you planning on going?"

"Out to the Northern Water Tribe."

"You had better make it worth my while."

"I'll see what I can dredge up."

"Yeah, yeah. You always say that," the shipwright complained, motioning Wolf to follow.

Wolf obeyed the command, the other three close behind. "Some day, I will. I have a feeling about it."

"I don't like those feelings you have." The shipwright led the group to his docks. There were three ships in the harbor, all looking in pretty bad shape. "I'm working on two of those. I was thinking about scrapping the last one, but it is the only one that'll float out at sea. It should be about what you are looking for."

Wolf and his group looked at the ship warily. "You sure it'll float?"

"Yes."

Wolf gave the boat a skeptical look.

"Who's the shipwright here?"

"You are."

"I say it will float."

"If it sinks, I'll kill you."

"If it sinks, you will probably drown. I don't think you could kill me then."

"I will haunt you as a ghost, then. I'll drive you to die the same way I do."

"If you drown. The ship won't sink! If you have such qualms about taking it, wait till the end of this week. I have two ships scheduled to come in at that time, and you can pay me fifty gold pieces to take one of those out."

The two glared at each other for a minute. Finally, they turned away. Wolf grumbled, "Fine, we'll take that one."

"Excellent choice. You have plenty of provisions, I presume."

"Presume is just a fancy way of assume. You know what they say about assuming things?"

"Yes, and I will assume that means you have nothing."

"We left in a hurry. It happens. I think we might be able to pay for the supplies."

"We have twenty pieces left," Jin inputted.

"It'll be tough, but you can make it to the Tribes if you ration for that much."

"We'll make it. I just hope they won't turn us away."

"Why would they want to do that?" Iroh asked.

"Uh, no reason. It's just…you know, a couple of Firebenders aren't easily trusted and all…"

"I'll go get your supplies. You guys can go check out the boat if you want," the Shipwright broke through the argument that was sure to surface and went back inside.

"Shall we?" Wolf gestured to the rickety boat.

"If we must," Iroh sighed.

The preparations were soon under way. In half an hour, the four refugees were ready to set sail for the Northern Water Tribe.

……………

The trip across the ocean was very boring. A day out at sea, they were unable to see any land on any side. The sun rose and set on a flat surface. Jin found herself seasick and spent her time at the bow of the boat, puking up anything she ate. Wolf discovered another disadvantage to his handicap, it was hard to walk on a rocking boat. He spent his time below decks. Iroh and Zuko were the only ones able to do much, but there was little to be done, except get meals ready.

Zuko was leaning on the rail with Jin, trying to make her feel a little better. They had been sailing for four days, and were probably half way to their destination. Iroh came up from below and walked up behind the two.

"Wolf wants to have a serious conversation with you, Zuko," Iroh said.

"Wolf can have a serious conversation? That's news," Jin replied sarcastically.

"He can when he wants too. It is rare, but it does happen. He has decided to have one right now, so I would not keep him waiting."

"That's true," Zuko decided. He pushed off the railing and strode across the deck to the hatchway that led down below to the lodging quarter. It was dark, and Zuko had to wait for his eyes to readjust before pressing down the small hall to the door at the end. He knocked twice before entering. "You wanted to talk to me?" Zuko asked quietly.

Wolf stood in the back of the room. A pair of candles, one on either wall between the two, lit the completely dark room enough to see. Wolf smiled slightly. "How are things holding up above deck?"

"Well enough. Jin's still sick."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Glad to hear."

Wolf fell into silence. Zuko respected it for a while, thinking. _Wolf won't talk unless I ask. If I don't ask soon, the mood might pass,_ the fallen prince finally decided. "Uncle said you wanted to talk to me about something important."

Wolf looked away. "Yeah, I did."

"About what?"

"Remember when you asked about the mark your father left on me? Well…I figured that…after the last incident, you're starting to become a real wolf. So, do you still want to know?"

Zuko nodded his head. "Yes."

Wolf sighed and turned. He leaned the stick he was still using as support against the wall, then loosened the cloth around his waist and let the top half of his kimono fall down around his waist.

Zuko drew a sharp intake of breath at the sight of the long scars. But those where nothing to the flower with six petals. It held Zuko transfixed, filling with different emotions. He wanted to run, and he wanted to fight.

Wolf glanced over his shoulder at Zuko. "Such a pretty sight, isn't it?" he asked sarcastically.

Those words drew Zuko out of his thoughts. "Aconite. Beware, a deadly foe is near. That's what it means, right?"

Wolf slid his kimono back on and turned to face Zuko. "Yes."

Zuko swallowed. Wolf had told him that before, but he hadn't really believed it. It seemed impossible that Wolf would be someone like that. "Those other scars…Where did they come from?"

"Another gift from Ozai. Didn't need to see those, then or now."

Zuko remembered trying to get a look at them, the first time he had really met Wolf.

"What are your thoughts, Zuko?" Wolf asked quietly.

"I need time to think."

"That's all right. You don't have to tell me. That's all I wanted to do."

Zuko walked to the door and stopped with it half-open. "Thanks for trusting me Wolf." Then, he left. Zuko headed for the deck. He went back to where he had been earlier, right next to Jin.

"So, what was that about?" Jin asked.

Iroh was sitting on the other side of Jin. He decided to keep quiet.

"It's private," Zuko mumbled.

Jin glanced at him, then looked skyward. "I saw it once. That mark. I wasn't supposed to, it was an accident, but I did. Wolf doesn't know. I thought it would be better if I didn't say anything. That flower almost made it feel like Wolf's a different person. I don't know what it means, but it just felt…weird looking at it. I was…almost scared, but I felt proud too. I think that flower would be a good symbol for the resistance. It could inspire awe and fear in one instant. But again, I haven't mentioned it to Wolf. I think he hates it. I think it's embarrassing for him. Maybe he's ashamed he was ever a fire bender, or something. I don't know."

"Maybe you're thinking too much."

"Yeah, but I think I feel better. No, never mind." Jin lowered her head, looking at the horizon.

"How did you know that I saw it?"

Jin smiled slightly. "I saw the emotional confusion in your eyes. I think that's how mine would have looked."

"Oh."

And they fell into silence.

……………

The rest of the trip was uneventful. The group finally started seeing ice bergs. This got Wolf back on deck. A day later, they saw the wall of the Northern Water Tribe. It was a large, wide spread area made entirely of ice. A simple etching of the water element marked a center. The small boat approached the gate.

……………

……………

Chapter 13 – END

……………

……………


	14. Chapter 14

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 14

The outer gates were a sight to behold. They were tall and made entirely of ice. A small gate formed and opened only enough to let the little boat in before shutting and becoming one with the wall once more. The small boat was kept in a small area, looking down at the large ice village. Waterbenders on either side drained the water, then let the boat through.

Tribesmen gestured to direct the boat to a docking place. The four clambered out of the boat onto solid ice. Looking around, they were amazed to find that everything was made of sculpted ice.

"What are you doing here?" one of the guards asked, holding a spear accusingly towards Wolf, who happened to be in the front.

"I would like an audience with Waterbending Master Paku of your tribe," Wolf stated calmly.

"Three of you look like Fire Nation. We cannot allow that."

"We are outcasts. We hold no allegiance to the Fire Nation."

"We cannot trust you on your word alone. Do you have proof?"

Wolf growled quietly and looked down.

"If you do not have proof, we ask that you leave."

"Fine. You want proof, you got it."

Wolf turned to face the rest of his group, muttering, "I can't believe I'm doing this." He handed the staff he was using to Zuko and started unbuttoning his shirt. He got halfway and slid the shoulder down.

The Water Tribe guard stepped closer. His eyes widened as he stepped back. "My apologies."

Wolf rolled his eyes before slipping the sleeve back the way it was and turning back to face the soldier while finishing re-buttoning his shirt.

"What's going on here?" a tall old man asked. He had light gray hair grown long. He moved easily, as if the curse of old age had yet to settle.

The guard bowed slightly.

Wolf followed, and the others took their cue.

They all stood in unison.

"What are you doing back here, Wolf? I thought that I said I wasn't going to lend you aid."

"You said you wouldn't give aid for my force. That's not what I'm here for this time. I have come to ask if you would house us for a while."

"Why should I do that? I owe you nothing."

"You don't, that's true. We have no where else to go that will keep us safe."

"Why are you turning to us for that?"

"We have information about the inner workings of the Fire Nation. We know secrets."

"Like the strength of a Firebender comes from the sun? We have known this for centuries."

Wolf looked toward the ground. _Stupid old man just has to make things difficult._ Wolf lowered himself to a kneeling position, using his stick for support. He sat as best he could, bowing low with his head to the ground. "Please, Master Paku, will you let my companions and I stay here."

"It means that much to you?"

"I'm not down here for my health."

"If you stay quiet about your ideas and don't try to start an uprising, you can stay."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Wolf raised his head.

"You," the old Waterbender motioned to the guard. "Show these four to an empty house. See to it that they have something to eat."

"Yes Master Paku," the guard bowed slightly.

"I really hope I don't see you around," Paku shot at Wolf before turning and walking away.

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Same here." He groaned as he tried to stand and couldn't. "Great, I'm stuck. How do I do this?"

Iroh stepped forward. "Do you need help, Wolf?"

Wolf looked up at Iroh. "Yeah, just a little."

Iroh grabbed Wolf's arm and helped him stand. Wolf rubbed at his knee, easing the pain.

"Sirs, if you are ready…" the guard prodded.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

The four were led to a smaller boat. They got in and the guard passed off the instructions to a ferryman.

Using Waterbending, the man pushed the boat through the water. The giant ice buildings and bridges looked even more fantastic up close. They traveled a short ways, taking a route that looked a little less well kept. They pulled into a little inlet and the guide gestured them out. The Fire Nation refugees hurried to follow.

The guide led them up a flight of obscenely long stairs. It took a good half-hour to get to the top. Once there, there was a nice little area filled with ice sculptures and fountains.

"This is the guest district. We actually haven't used it in a long time, but it has been maintained all the same. You may use any of the houses, just leave them as you found them. Someone will bring your supplies up for you soon." Saying that, the guide left.

The house was craftily built out of ice, so much so that it looked like it were made of wood. There were plenty of rooms, each with a flap for a door and a large white pelt to sleep on. Jin went about, examining all of the rooms and the kitchen.

"They have freezers that work!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, novel concept," Wolf muttered sarcastically.

Their stuff came and they started to work on settling down.

The outcasts had become very comfortable in their new environment by the end of the day. Jin had to throw on three layers of clothing before she was warm. By the time night fell, they were very happy to go into their own rooms and sleep.

……………

Iroh was making tea, per usual. He was having a hard time getting the water to heat up. It was almost as if the water had a mind of its own, and enjoyed being cold.

Some little kids walked into the room, via the open door. "Mister, can Wolf come play with us?" one of the little boys asked.

Iroh was slightly surprised by this, but he didn't show it. Iroh knew it would be a bad idea to let Wolf go romping with children in his state. "Wolf is not feeling well," he lied slightly.

"Awww!" all of the kids whined. "If Wolf can't play, will you play with us?"

_Where is Zuko when I need him? _Iroh wondered. Zuko could go play with the kids. But Zuko had taken off with Jin a while ago. "I don't know…"

"Go play with the kids, Iroh," Wolf called from the other room.

"All right. I will play with you."

"Yay!"

"Let's play war!" one of the other kids exclaimed.

"No!" one of the girls whined.

"Yeah! War!" The little kids jumped around and started heading out.

"War?" Iroh asked. Little children should not play war, in his opinion.

"Yeah, war. Didn't you ever play when you were a kid?" one of the kids stopped his antics to look at Iroh strangely.

Iroh shook his head. "No." His childhood had been spent preparing him to take over leadership of the Nation and Army.

"You can be the 'Fire Nation'. The 'Water Tribes', that's us, have to defeat you. It's easy. Come on, let's go!" excited, the little kid that had spoken grabbed Iroh's hand and started pulling him out the door.

"Good luck Iroh!" Wolf called.

……………

The 'war' went well for the little kids. They crowded around Iroh, some poking at him with sticks. A couple grabbed his arms and he raised them, leaving the kids dangling. When more climbed on, Iroh fell over.

"Yeah! We won!" the kids exclaimed, jumping around.

"Wait, wait, wait!" one called. "He's not dead yet!"

"No, don't kill me!" Iroh pretended to cry.

"Yeah, we gotta do that!" another kid exclaimed. He bent and whispered to Iroh, "don't worry, it's not real."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The kids turned and saw Wolf. "Firebenders always travel in packs."

"Yay Wolf!" All of the kids rushed forward.

"Wait, the war isn't finished yet."

The kids stopped.

"A couple of you need to take care of the other Firebender," Wolf prompted patiently.

"Oh," a couple went back to where Iroh was laying. The rest rushed towards Wolf.

……………

Wolf and Iroh had lost the game of war. They were walking back up the stairs to their temporary home. Wolf was using the staff a little more than he had before, but was trying hard to hide it.

"You sure have a way with children, Wolf," Iroh commented, half-laughing.

"Nasty little buggers," Wolf replied.

"You should have some."

Wolf made a face. Iroh laughed.

"It appears you played a little to rough with them," Iroh stated. He sounded serious.

Wolf, however, wasn't willing to give up the mood. "Aw, they need to toughen up. I didn't hit that hard."

"You let them play to rough. You haven't quite healed yet."

"I'm fine."

"Is that why you are limping so badly?"

"It's the cold weather."

"You need to stay in and rest."

"Iroh, come on. I've been in for at least a month," Wolf whined.

"Injuries like that take a long time to heal. You don't make things any easier on it. Always getting up and going about like nothing's wrong. You keep aggravating it."

"Nag. How old do you think I am? I can take care of myself. I lived ten years doing just that."

"And I can see how well that turned out."

"What? I didn't turn out that bad."

"You seem to be falling apart. If it's not one thing, it is another."

"But it's fun," Wolf whined.

"Maybe you really needed someone to look after you. You need a wife."

"You do enough nagging for two people, Iroh. I don't need a wife."

"I worry about you Wolf."

"Well stop. I don't worry about me that much."

"And that's why you're going to fall apart."

"Am not."

"Please Wolf. Just for a little while. At least until we get off of these stairs."

"If that'll get you to stop picking on me. So, where do you think Zuko and Jin went?"

"I do not have the slightest idea."

"Guess we just wait and find out. I'm going to find out if one of these Waterbenders will make me chess pieces. Then we could play. I'm sick of loosing at Pai Sho."

"I thought we decided you weren't going out any more."

"I don't want to be stuck playing Pai Sho with you all day. I can't win."

"We'll find a way."

"You just don't want to loose."

The two had finally gotten up the stairs. They walked across the space elegantly decorated with ice sculptures of fish and such to their current residence.

"That was exhausting. I hate stairs," Wolf complained as they entered the ice home. "They need to make stairs that move themselves."

"That sounds very creative. I think that would be wistful thinking."

"Yeah, it is. I can do that. Especially since you banned me from going out."

Iroh sighed. _What have I done?_ he wondered, knowing that this was going to get worse.

"I'm hungry," Wolf decided. "When's Jin going to come back and cook us food?"

"I don't know. When she feels like it?"

"Great. Wake me up when she does." Wolf went into one of the back rooms.

Iroh shook his head and went back to trying to make tea.

……………

It had taken a while, but Iroh finally managed to get the water heated up long enough to make his tea. He was just settling down to drink it when Jin walked into the house.

"I'm sorry. You guys must be hungry. I'll start making something," Jin blurted out. She hurried into the kitchen area before Iroh could ask anything.

Zuko came in moments later.

"Zuko, it's good to see you. You left so early in the morning, I didn't get to see you."

They young prince looked at Iroh, then started for the back rooms.

"What were you two doing?" Iroh asked, smiling innocently.

Zuko stopped. "Nothing," he said in a monotone.

"Are you too embarrassed to tell your old uncle things like that?"

Zuko blushed slightly and looked away. "We weren't doing anything."

"Ok, fine. Don't tell me."

Jin, who had been listening to the conversation the whole time and enjoying it, called, "You can tell him Zuko."

"We were teaching," Zuko simply said. He was about to keep going for his room when Iroh spoke again.

"Teaching what? Love?"

"No. I was teaching Jin how to use the broad swords."

"Oh." Iroh looked disappointed.

"She's going to teach me how to be a better blue spirit, too."

"I see. Keep it up."

Zuko left for the back.

Jin bounded into the room. "Well, I have some good news and some bad news. We have a lot of meat. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's jerky. Even worse is there isn't any bread, so even if we did have normal meat, I can't make sandwiches."

"That is a problem," Iroh agreed.

"Finally! Someone understands! I'm going to go complain to someone." Jin headed for the door.

"Are you sure you want to do that? You will have to walk up and down all of those stairs again."

Jin froze and turned. "Who wants jerky?" she asked, smiling with an icy smile.

……………

Wolf was enjoying the sunlight in the area outside of the guesthouses. The cold air combined well with the sun's rays and provided a decent temperature. He would have loved to take a walk, but Iroh had been watching him closely to make sure he wouldn't. So, Wolf was stuck sitting in the court yard-like area, reading to pass time.

Wolf heard something coming and sat up quickly. He watched, amused, as the heard of children made it over the rise of stairs.

"Wolf!" some of the older ones, more used to the physical labor, called, running up. "Wolf come play with us!"

"I can't."

"Aw, why not?"

"Mean old Uncle Iroh said I can't. I got hurt to bad, and he says I keep making it worse."

"Aw, that's too bad."

"Yeah, I know."

"How about you tell us a story instead!"

"All right. Come on, gather around. Sit down. Hey," Wolf called, noticing one kid was hanging back. "What's going on with you. I don't bite. Come closer."

"Mommy says that I can't see you," the little boy muttered.

Wolf's brows furrowed. "Why's that?"

"She said you were strange. She said that it was a bad in-flu-ence to be around you, because you came from the Fire Nation. She said, 'Shiro, you can't be around him'."

"Well that's not very nice of her."

"But, Daddy said that it was ok. Mommy yelled at Daddy because of that, and Daddy said that the Fire Nation spit you out, and doesn't like you, so you were ok."

"You don't want to make your mommy mad do you?"

"No, but I think Daddy is right. I like you, and I don't like Fire Nation, so you must be good. All my friends like you too. So, I followed them here. Tell a story." Shiro went and sat at the edge of sitting children.

"Ok, what kind of story do you want?"

"Oh, tell one about brave warriors," the boys chanted.

"Oh, tell a love story," the young girls sighed.

"No! Tell us a war story!"

"Yeah, a war story!" the girls agreed. They liked hearing about all of the brave men who fought.

"All right. A war story." Wolf smiled.

"Yay!" With that decided, the children quieted down.

"I can tell you how the war started."

"No, that's boring. Like we haven't heard that fifty bajillion times."

"The siege of Ba Sing Sei."

"No!"

"I don't know that many war stories," Wolf complained.

"Aw, come on Wolf!"

Wolf glanced down, thinking. He remembered one of the stories that the shaman had told him. "How about a story about a Prince and a Princess?"

"What kind? It sounds like it's sappy. Ew!" the boys piped up.

"No, it's not," Wolf assured them.

"Fine. Tell it!"

"Once upon a time, there were two children born to a king. The mother favored her first born son, while the father favored his daughter. So, the children grew up each raised by a parent. The Princess was cruel and mean, just like her father. She was always looking for ways to get her kindhearted brother into trouble. She would throw rocks at the young turtle ducks while the Prince would feed them the breadcrumbs from his evening meal.

"The Prince's kind nature and love for life made him destined to become a good ruler in the future. However, his father didn't like his kindhearted nature. He wanted his beloved Princess on the throne after he died, to continue ruling with an iron fist. The Prince's mother disappeared. It was a plot by the King to make the Prince mean.

"But it didn't work. So the King allowed the Prince to sit in for a war meeting. He knew the Prince would not be able to stand the evil things that they talked about, and would speak up. Then, the King could be rid of the Prince. Everything went according to his plan. When the King talked about destroying a town that was holding soldiers, killing all of the inhabitants, the Prince spoke up for the innocent people in the town. By doing so, he was going against his father in an act of treason.

"As part of the King's plan, the King challenged the Prince to a fight. He said that he needed to teach his son respect, and suffering would be a proper teacher. But the Prince knew he could not fight his Father, the King. He didn't fight because he couldn't win, that didn't matter. He might have been able to if it did. It was because he was a son. A son should not have to fight his father, no matter the cause. So, he refused to fight.

"The King did not expect this, but attacked his son anyway. The Princess watched on, pleased. The Prince was heavily wounded, and left outside the castle walls to die in humiliation.

"But the Prince was not destined to die that day. A peasant girl found the wounded Prince and helped him get better. While he was healing, the Prince wanted to know why the peasant wanted to help him. His father taxed the peasants and was constantly fighting with them. Her parents were probably killed by his father.

"The peasant girl said that it didn't matter. That was all what the King had done. The Prince was a human being, just like she was. She said that the Prince was also hurt by his father's hand. She knew that the Prince was a good person, and that he wouldn't do anything like his father did. That was why she had helped him.

"The King had heard that the young Prince hadn't died. He sent many troops out to track down the Prince, but they all came back in failure. The Princess was disgraced by the behavior of her brother, and left on her own to kill him. She found him in the small village where the peasant girl lived.

"She saw the Prince working happily on the farm with the peasant girl, and was jealous. How could a Prince who was no longer a Prince be happy while she, the apple of the King's eye and still called Princess, why was she so sad?

"So, she burned the village. The people living in the village ran away from the wrath of the Princess, and she followed them. The villagers managed to get away. The peasant girl had seen the one who did this, and told the Prince. The Prince realized that it was his sister that had burned the village. He thought it might have been because he was living there.

" 'I will fight the Princess,' he said. The peasant girl cried for him to stay. The Prince knew he couldn't. The Princess would come for them, no matter where they were, unless he left. Then, all of the villagers would be safe and they could rebuild their homes and live happily once more. 'I won't be happy,' the peasant girl cried in her last attempt to keep the Prince there.

" 'No one will be happy as long as I am here,' the Prince explained. 'I have to do this. I'm not going to do this just for them, though. I am also doing this for you. I need you to live and be happy. If it takes my life to do this, then I will die happy.'

" 'But I won't be happy without you,' the peasant girl tried to tell him. But the Prince was determined, and closed his ears. Before he left, the peasant girl gave him a glass rose, telling him that she wanted it back. It was a promise that they would, someday, reunite.

"The Prince went back to face the Princess. They fought together. Even though the Princess had trained harder, the Prince had more to loose. He won the fight. However, the good in his heart would not let him kill his sister. The Prince knew that as long as the Princess was still alive, she would continue to come after him. So, the Prince left on a long journey, never staying in one place.

"Many years passed, and he grew into a man. The King died, and the Princess became Queen. The Prince had been freed. He went back to the village. Even though years had passed, many of the townspeople recognized him. They knew the flower he had with him as the one the peasant girl had given to him so many years ago. He asked everyone he met about the peasant girl, but the people didn't want to tell him about her.

"The Prince was desperate and about to give up when an old lady approached him. She said that he should follow her, that she would lead him to the peasant girl. She led him to the outside of the village, onto a grassy slope to a grave. The old lady explained that the peasant girl had waited. Alone, she could do very little, so she was unable to support herself. She had withered away, gotten sick, and died, all within a year of the attack.

"The Prince thanked the old lady, and she left. He sat by the peasant girl's grave, apologizing over and over. The Prince laid the glass flower that he had kept safe through all of his travels on the grave. 'I have returned it to you, now,' he whispered. His duty fulfilled, the Prince left. Not long after that, he died as well. The end."

"Boo! That's a bad ending!" all of the children called.

"Well, that's the end."

"How did the Prince die?" one of the boys asked.

"Uh…heart break?"

"Bleah, that's sappy. You lied Wolf, you said it wasn't sappy."

"Fine, he killed himself, by stabbing his own dagger into his heart."

"Why?"

"Never mind. Leaving town, he got jumped by a lone thief. Since he wouldn't hand over his money, the thief killed him, only to find he had no money anyway. The moral of the story is: watch your back, even if you are depressed."

"Well, that's a stupid story, then. Any way you look at it, they can't be happy."

"There's one final way that this story can end. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yeah! Tell us!"

"The Prince, angered by what the Princess had done, stormed the castle. He over threw his sister that was now Queen, and took his rightful place as King. Still, he could not kill his sister, but he sent her to the darkest dungeon for the rest of her life. As the new King, he ruled and brought peace to the lands. Under him, everyone was happy. Everyone, but him. He was still saddened by the loss of the peasant girl, and refused to marry any of the many girls that sought his attention. When he died many years later, the throne fell to a distant relative who went back to the evil ways. There, that's the end."

"That one was better. There was a big fight. Hey, let's go play that!" The children ran off down the stairs.

"Well, that was eventful," Wolf muttered to himself.

"I didn't know that you told stories, Wolf."

Wolf glanced back and noticed Zuko was standing behind him. "I don't really, but Iroh said I shouldn't move around to much, and I had to entertain the kids some how."

"It was an interesting story."

"I didn't make it up. The shaman I lived with for a while told it to me. He told all sorts of stories, but I don't remember any of them."

"Except that one?"

"That one just came to me."

"I see."

"Wolf!" Shiro shouted, running up the stairs again. He ran right up to Wolf, breathing a little harder than usual. "I just remembered. If you get hurt, you can go to my Mom. She's a healer, and she makes it all better."

"Thank you for the invitation. I think I'll pass."

"What, why?"

"First of all, your mom doesn't like me. Second, I was stupid. That's why I got hurt. So, I'm going to suffer the consequences."

"What's a con-se-qence-es?"

Wolf glanced at Zuko for help, but the prince shook his head. "Uh, consequences are what happens after you do something. Like if you break one of your mom's plates, she gets mad and yells at you. That's a consequence."

"Oh. I don't like those. Well, I got to go now. Everyone probably is starting without me. Bye Wolf!" Shiro waved as he ran off.

"Why didn't you accept that offer?" Zuko asked.

"Because I was stupid when I got it, and I haven't changed any," Wolf chuckled as he said that.

Zuko had no reply to that. He just shook his head and walked away.

……………

……………

Chapter 14 – END

……………

……………


	15. Chapter 15

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 15

It had snowed within a week of their arrival. It had continued to snow on and off for the entirety of a month. After that, the weather warmed up slightly, allowing the sun to shine.

Wolf had taken full advantage of the rays. He lay on a blanket covering the bench in the courtyard, with an added fur blanket around his shoulders. He had decided he hated snow far more than he ever hated rain. Rain could actually be warm. Snow was just cold and numbing cold. He had been cold ever since they entered the Water Tribe's land and hated it.

Wolf had finally remembered the way the figures for his chess game looked, and had started drawing them out on spare pieces of hide or the loose-leaf paper he found. He was almost done when he heard a loud shriek. Wolf sat and looked up, wondering what was going on.

A few minutes later, Jin slid around the corner of one of the houses and scrambled to hide behind Wolf. "Hide me!" she hissed.

Wolf looked over his shoulder at Jin and looked up in time to catch sight of Zuko coming around the corner. "I'm not getting in the middle of this. I'd keep running if I were you," Wolf advised, grabbing his stick in preparation to stand.

"That's mean," Jin muttered before taking off. She ran around the corner of another house and disappeared from sight.

Zuko walked up to where Wolf was sitting.

"Just what are you two doing this early in the morning?" Wolf asked.

Zuko smiled slightly and showed Wolf a snowball. "We're enjoying the snow."

"All right. Play nice."

Zuko trotted off in the direction Jin had gone. Wolf shook his head. Things seemed weird with Zuko smiling like that. A moment later, there was a quiet splat noise, and a loud "that's cold!"

Wolf stood to go see what was going on, almost curious. Zuko ran around the corner he had disappeared around before the out cry, laughing. Jin followed shortly after, a large, molting snowball in one hand. Zuko stopped behind Wolf.

"What are you doing? Why's every one using me as a shield today?"

"I'm trying not to get hit. How good do you think her aim is?"

Jin threw the snowball. Wolf closed his eyes, hoping Jin's aim was good. He felt a few splats of wet snow on the side of his face. Cautiously, Wolf opened his eyes and discovered that Jin's aim was good, she had hit Zuko right in the face. Wolf sighed in relief.

Zuko recovered from the shock of the cold snow. "I'm going to get you now!"

Jin meeped and stood where she was.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not intruding on anything," a man's voice called pleasantly.

The three turned their attention to a middle aged man making his way towards them. He was out of breath, and his blue eyes were bright with the exertion. He looked like typical Water Tribe member.

"No, you're not. Make yourself at home," Wolf invited.

"Oh, I just wanted to speak with you. Privately."

Wolf glanced at Zuko and Jin, who both looked like they were going to leave. Wolf frowned slightly. "We're a pack. There's nothing that you can't say to just one of us that you can't say to all of us."

"It's all right, Wolf," Jin spoke up. "We were just going to leave. Right, Zuko?" under her breath, she muttered, "Sounds like a boring talk, anyway."

"Yeah. We'll let you two talk privately," Zuko agreed.

Jin and Zuko stepped towards each other. Jin grabbed Zuko's hand and the two went inside.

Wolf sat back down on the bench. "So, what do you want?" Wolf asked, a little colder than he had been before. His instincts were telling him that the man was being sneaky.

"Well, I am Tiko. I study the different cultures of the world, so that if peace finally comes, we will encounter fewer difficulties in dealing with other people. I was down on the lower level when you came, and I saw that mark on your shoulder. It's from the Fire Nation, isn't it? Call me a traitor, but the Fire Nation is so fascinating. It's so different from our own culture, but I just can't get enough of it. But, I guess I'm just like that with all of the cultures I find that I can learn about at the time."

Wolf sighed and rolled his eyes. Another nut case. "Could you hurry up and get to the point. I just remembered I'm quite busy."

"Point? Oh, yes. My point. I was hoping you would allow me to interview you and, perhaps, allow me to input the mark into my research."

"Not interested."

"Please, I'll do whatever I can. There must be something you want. Money…clothes…food…a good time…something."

Wolf stood again and limped over to where the man was standing. He looked down at Tiko. "How about this?" Wolf held out the piece of paper he had been working on.

"What is this?"

"My project. I've been trying to figure out how I could make these game pieces, and this seems about right."

The man's eyebrows furrowed. He pouted slightly in confusion. "You want game pieces?"

"There's a lot of them. Thirty-two, to be exact. Sixteen in black, sixteen in white. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course. Are you saying that you will do this if I get you those pieces?"

Wolf nodded.

The man made a weird noise, something between a bird twitter and a laugh. His eyes widened slightly and he covered his mouth, apparently embarrassed.

Wolf looked at him strangely. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry. I just never thought I'd talk to a man of your caliber."

"I have a caliber now?"

"Yes. Everyone has one; it's just hidden. Oh, but that's a different topic. I'll come by tomorrow with the game pieces. You want them to look exactly like this?"

"More or less."

"Oh, brilliant. Well, I really must be off. A day is such a short time. I'll get on to it right away. Well, that's all for now. Until tomorrow." The man bowed and left.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Wolf asked himself. "Is it really worth those pieces?"

……………

The next morning dawned bright and early. However, for Wolf, it was more early than bright.

"Wake up Wolf."

Wolf heard the voice and opened one eye to see who it was. Realizing it wasn't Iroh, Wolf sat up quickly, ready to attack. Then he realized that it was the man who had seen him the day before and he relaxed slightly. _I could have killed him_, Wolf thought.

"Good morning. I came today, just like I said I would. I've come to collect."

_Maybe I should have killed him_.

"This early in the morning?" Wolf asked.

"I thought I'd get started as soon as the pieces were done. They were done just a while ago, so I had them brought here. So when do you think we should get started?"

_Yeah. Definitely should have killed him_. "I want to get a look at the pieces first."

"All right," Tiko nodded, smiling eagerly.

"Could you excuse me so that I can get ready?"

"Oh. Right. Sure." He started backing out of the room.

"If you want, you can ask Iroh to make tea if he's up. If not, help yourself to the kitchen."

"You'd let me do that?"

"On second thought, just wait." _It'd be hard to explain how a person from the Water Tribe burnt down our kitchen._

Tiko left. Wolf sighed as he started getting ready. "I should have killed him," Wolf muttered to himself.

Wolf was ready fairly quick for something he didn't want to do. He walked out of his room and into the living room, where he found Tiko playing around with something on the table. So, of course, being Wolf, he had to ask. "What are you doing?"

The man turned abruptly, knocking something on the floor. He bent to retrieve it and set it back on the table. "I was just looking at the craftsmanship of the items that you wanted. They are very nice, high quality, just like we were hoping for."

Wolf nodded and walked up to the table. He was amazed to find not thirty-six pieces like he had been expecting, but twice as many. The looked like ice, perfectly clear and shiny. Wolf picked up one of the ones nearest to him, a normally shaped pawn. It was cold and slick, like ice. "They're made of ice. Won't they melt?"

"They were originally made with ice. They still are, mostly, but we covered them with a material that will keep form. When the ice melts, there will still be a figure. It's like glass, the material. But, glass shatters if it gets cold. This stuff, no shattering, no melting, it will keep under any circumstance. It's an excellent…"

Wolf tuned out most of the long speech the man was giving, opting for examining the figures closer instead. Half of them were close to his drawings. The lines and curves were smoother, which set them apart. It was the average chess set from what he gathered. Around the top were little strings in black and white. The other set was a different story. They looked like animals. Half of the animals set were little koala otters. The king and queen looked like deformed monster koi. There were four seal turtles, four penguins and, oddly enough, there were even four wolves. Wolf picked one up to get a better look at it.

"What's with these ones?"

"Those? Well, we were having a little bit of fun after the first set was finished, so we made another set using the animals that we know. I explained the situation to them, and they thought it would be very fitting if we put a wolf in there. Do you like it?"

"The whole animal thing is a bit…strange. You can't tell the pieces apart. They're well sculpted, but I don't think I could use them. But…do you think I could keep just this one?"

"Of course. Go right ahead. You like them, right?"

"Considering what you were going off of, I think they work."

"Great. Now, can we go?"

"One minute. I'm hungry."

"You can eat when we get to my place."

Wolf thought about it for a moment. "No, I'll eat here." There were to many things that could go wrong. Wolf didn't know this person very well. For all he knew, Tiko might try to drug him with a truth serum or something even more unpleasant.

Tiko sighed, but he let Wolf shuffle around the kitchen until he found a little something to eat. Wolf ate it quickly under the harsh persuasions of the other man. Wolf wrote a note telling his companions that he was heading out and didn't know when he would be back. Then, they left.

Wolf found the walk to be a little taxing. Between the snowstorms and Iroh's orders, Wolf hadn't been up and about to often in the past month. The fact that walking down the stairs had become tiring irritated Wolf to no end.

"What did you do to your leg?" Tiko asked, starting the conversation. The only thing that made Wolf feel slightly better was that the other man was also out of breath.

"I messed it up in a fight. It happens."

"Did it occur to you that you could have a healer look at it?"

"Yeah."

"Why haven't you?"

"If every time someone got hurt and they ran directly to a healer, do you think that they'd learn anything?"

"They would just learn to rely on healers."

"Exactly. Healers aren't something someone like me finds very easily. So why would I want to do something like that?"

"Because you've suffered so much already. You know enough already, don't you? So, just this once, you can relieve yourself of the pain, forgive yourself, and move on."

"Well, pain's good for you, so I figure. It lets you know that you're alive."

"So you need pain to know you are alive?"

"It's better than being dead."

"To some extent."

Wolf growled slightly. He had a bad feeling that this was going to be a long walk, and an even longer day.

An hour and a half later, Tiko was ready to start the interview. He had led Wolf to a small house. It was cluttered and impossible to walk through without running into anything. The guy ushered Wolf through the house into a backroom. The room smelled funny to Wolf, but he didn't want a long explanation and really didn't want to know, so he didn't ask what it was.

"I'm really sorry everything is so messy. I didn't have the time to clean up, with the deadline so early. I really need to find a wife to do that for me."

Wolf thought it better not to mention that it was the guy's fault that the deadline was early. He certainly hadn't expected it to be so soon. "It's almost like one of my homes. What do you want me to do?"

Tiko had just resurfaced from behind a ledge, towing a large book up as he stood. "I want to document that symbol on your shoulder. So, if you would please take off your shirt, we can get started."

"I'm not taking my shirt off. It's cold," Wolf objected.

"True," the man sighed and turned around to flip through the pages of the book. Wolf thought he caught a disappointed expression, which creeped him out. "Just enough then, so that I can see it. Oh, and you can lie down over there. It makes life easier for the both of us. That is essential, isn't it?"

Wolf had absorbed himself in the simple task of unbuttoning his shirt, and just mumbled his agreement. Satisfied that it was down far enough, Wolf plodded over and did as the man had suggested, making sure that only the brand showed. Things were annoying enough as it was without the major details. "All right. I'm ready." Now Wolf was eager to get things over with. The place he was lying on was cold.

Tiko hauled the large book around so that he could go back and fourth easily. "Great. First things first, your real name is…"

"What makes you think I wasn't originally named Wolf?"

"Please, people of the Fire Nation don't normally know what a wolf is, for starters. Wolves are most well known by the Water Tribes, and some Earth Kingdoms have encounters with them. Wolves are nocturnal and only appear at night. Firebenders loose potency at night. So if your Fire Nation parents named you that, you would already be dead. So, your original name…"

Wolf hesitated. How much would this guy know about him with his real name? "Moltov."

"Moltov? Very flame-ish and fiery. Now _that_ sounds Fire Nation, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I changed it."

"To such a peculiar name as Wolf?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?"

"No, no. Don't mind me. I was just wondering if there was another reason for it, that's all. On to the next part. I'm going to draw it out, so hold still."

Wolf hadn't moved much, so the last bit was unnecessary. Tiko looked at Wolf's mark, and started drawing it onto the paper. He drew the square outline and turned to look again. He brushed his hand over the brand.

Wolf flinched away. "Don't touch it. I agreed to let you draw it, not touch it. You're fingers are cold," Wolf hissed.

"Sorry. Six petals on the flower?"

"What does it look like? It's always been six."

The man was silent for a while, looking from his paper to the reference. His brow furrowed slightly. "What's this?" He touched the small corner of the brand where a small scar had crossed into the box.

"I told you to stop touching," Wolf growled.

"Sorry. Is that part of it?"

"No."

"It looks like it came after the mark. What happened?"

"You just wanted to document the mark. No one needs to know my history as well."

"I'm just curious. It looks like it was made by a whip. Are you into that kind of thing?"

Wolf growled again. "If you get caught by enemies, they'll use different methods of making you talk. I just got on the wrong side."

"I see." Tiki turned back to his work, finishing it quickly. "You can sit up now. I've finished."

Wolf sat up and slipped his shirt back onto his shoulder.

"This flower, what does it mean?"

"It's an aconite. It's a flower that can live is some parts of the Fire Nation. It's poisonous to animals, and has several other names, including Wolf's Bane. In the Fire Nation, it is used to brand the most dangerous traitors. It tells others that the bearer would be best left alone, unless you want to die, anyway. The true meaning that the aconite has been given is 'beware, a deadly foe is near.' I'd write that one down, it's the true meaning for…Fire Nation people." Wolf avoided saying anything like my people, even ignoring himself in the matter. The meaning was for the Fire Nation and the Fire Nation alone. And he didn't like having a connection with the Fire Nation

"Thank you. Now, why did you get marked with it?"

"I betrayed the great Fire Lord Ozai," Wolf replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I said to much that went against what Ozai wanted, and wham, next night…he got me."

"Were you close to the Fire Lord, or did you just speak out? Were you a high ranking general or something?"

"No, I was just there. I knew Ozai, yes. That was why I wasn't a high ranking general in his army. I don't like the way Ozai took control, how he runs everyone's lives, just the things he does. And I told him so."

"That's so brave of you."

"Bravery to some is stupidity to others."

"No, that's brave. To talk out against such a dangerous person."

"Whatever it is, doesn't change the fact that it happened, and I'm here now."

"What was it like to have your life changed so quickly?"

"It's like getting pushed overboard in a storm with rocks tied to your ankles. You sink, and you sink quickly. But, it could have been worse."

There was a loud commotion outside. It seemed something exciting was happening outside. Both men started up at the sound of cheering.

"I wonder what's going on," Tiko mused.

"Yeah, me too."

"Well, that was all that I really wanted to know. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoy your game. Maybe we can talk again?"

"Maybe." Mentally, Wolf was saying no, but he didn't feel like completely dashing the man's hopes against sharp jagged rocks.

The shouting started to grow louder and branch out. The two stood and headed out of the room. They passed through the house. When they got to the exit, a young woman burst into the room. Her hair was white and looped in an elegant way. Her silver eyes were alight with excitement.

"Master Tiko. There's incredible news! Oh, Wolf! I didn't know you would be here as well. It's nice to see you again."

"Pleasure seeing you again, Princess Yue," Wolf nodded his head in greeting.

"Well, this is great. You can both share in the news. The Avatar has returned! The war is over!"

"Hold on a second. Just because the Avatar is back, doesn't mean we've won already," Tiko laughed. He was obviously pleased and believed the same.

"No, but it will be! Just think, the Avatar. Wolf, what do you think? We'll win, won't we?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be going now." Nodding a small nonchalant farewell, Wolf left.

……………

Wolf walked wearily into their house. He was fully intent on getting a small something to eat and going to sleep. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the pack didn't agree. Wolf had taken five steps into the room, heading for the kitchen area, when Iroh spoke up.

"Where have you been Wolf?"

Jin and Zuko were hanging back, watching quietly. Iroh was in a grumpy mood, so it was best to let him settle things on his own.

"I left you a note saying that I'd be out for a while," Wolf replied quietly.

"Is that what it said? I couldn't read it. It'd be nice if you told us where you were going."

"I went out with an acquaintance, that's all. We had a little talk, and now I'm back, end of story."

Iroh sighed. "Welcome back."

"Yeah, I'm back. I'm hungry too. Jin cook us anything or we still eating that other stuff?"

"We're still eating what has been provided for us."

"Bleah."

They were all quiet for a moment as Wolf started shuffling through the kitchen.

"I'll help," Jin said and hurried to join Wolf in the room.

Zuko was close behind. He knew that if he left Jin to her own devices, she might hurt herself. Not wanting to be left out, Iroh followed. The other two men stayed by the entrance watching.

"It sounds like there's going to be a small celebration," Zuko started quietly. "Do you know what the cause is?"

"Water Tribe wants to have a celebration every once in a while. No big deal," Wolf replied.

Jin looked up from the search, a mildly confused look on her face. "It sounds like this was a little more spontaneous than that. I would think that we would be asked to the celebration, at least."

"Yeah, this is a little more out there than usual." Wolf walked past the others, turning his back to them. He stopped in a corner and turned to face them. "The Avatar has returned."

Jin's face lit up. "The Avatar! That's great!"

Zuko looked down, contemplating. "The Avatar, huh?"

"This is great news!" Iroh exclaimed. "It is cause for much celebration."

Zuko looked up; meeting Wolf's darkened gaze. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Right now? Nothing," Wolf stated bluntly.

"Nothing? But, the Avatar, he's supposed to fight my Father…"

"Ah. Right _now_ we will do nothing," Iroh cut in. He had a feeling things were going to get really bad, and he was trying to prevent that. "In the winter, Water Tribes like this one are bound in ice. It would be dangerous to try and leave. We'll wait for the weather to warm up before leaving, is that it?"

"No." Wolf brushed past them again to the other side of the kitchen, this time keeping his back to his friends. "I have no intention of doing anything. I've done enough. Iroh, you said it yourself, I should settle down before I kill myself."

"I didn't go that far," Iroh denied.

Zuko watched Wolf, stunned. Wolf had always been the first to jump up when something was going to happen. It just seemed wrong that he was going to roll over and play dead now.

"Well, I'm going to settle down. I'm stopping here and now. I'm not going to go after Ozai anymore."

_If that's what you think, I think we need to have a little talk._

Wolf's eyes widened slightly as he registered the voice and what it meant. His body stiffened. He heard Zuko say something, but he was to distracted by the voice to hear what it was.

"We don't need to talk," Wolf whispered quietly.

_Apparently, we do. Now, come here._

Wolf felt like he was being pulled inward. The other three rushed forward as Wolf fell forward.

……………

……………

Chapter 15 – END

……………

……………


	16. Chapter 16

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 16

Wolf opened his eyes. The feel of the air was warmer, so he immediately knew something was wrong. He looked around and discovered he was somewhere else. It was a place he recognized easily, even though it had been a long time since he had seen it last.

It was the land Ma Lir lived in, with the large full moon on the horizon, and the lush green hills. He was sitting on a rock, just like the first time he had had contact with the wolf spirit. Wolf looked forwards and saw a strange sight. Before him was a mirror image of himself, only this other self had glowing blue eyes and wolf's tail and ears.

"Ma Lir?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah. What are you looking at?" the Wolf spirit answered, glaring.

"You're human."

"I've been stuck here for so long that I've started changing. This is all your fault."

Wolf glanced down. Ma Lir walked forward to stand in front of Wolf.

"Why did you bring me here? You were supposed to be asleep," Wolf spoke quietly without looking at the spirit.

"I woke up when I heard what you said. What was it again? That you were backing out of our deal," Ma Lir growled.

Wolf looked up into the spirit's eyes with a small amount of determination. "I'm not going to fight any more. With the Avatar back, I don't need to."

"Says you." Ma Lir turned quickly and walked a few paces away before returning to the same spot. "Did it ever occur to you about what I am here for?"

"I…"

"It didn't. You had completely forgotten about me. It's human nature. Human fucking nature gets between me and my goal. It's you, Moltov. Why did you say something as stupid as that? What the hell does the Avatar have to do with anything, with our goal?"

"It's destiny. The Avatar's destiny is to fight against the Fire Lord to put an end to the war."

"Oh, it's destiny," Ma Lir mimicked. He grew really serious and grabbed a handful of Wolf's hair and leaned forward, forcing their eyes to meet at close range. "Big whoop. I don't give a rat's ass if it's destiny or something else. I'm on par with the gods. Why should gods give a damn about destiny?" Ma Lir let go, roughly and began walking around. "Who writes destiny anyway? No one does. Destiny does not exist.

"And even if it does, you want to know something? I know the Avatar. How do you think I got stuck with such a shitty job like guarding a stupid pact? A pact that the Avatar himself forged hundreds of centuries ago. Yeah, that's a long ass time. Bet even you can figure this one out. I've dealt with the Avatar before. It's not like I can't do it again.

"But what about you? You say you want to stop me from doing my job, fulfilling _my_ destiny, to use your words. But you have your own bone to pick with the bastard, don't you?" Ma Lir had been talking at Wolf's back for the last part of his speech. At the end, the wolf spirit pushed Wolf's head off to the side and ripped the shirt. Claw-like nails dug into the flower brand.

Wolf hissed at the pain, but was helpless to do anything about it.

"Who was it who put this mark on you?" Ma Lir whispered in Wolf's ear. "Who banished you from your home, where you had lived so happily for so long? Who left you for dead in my realm? Ozai, the Bastard, High Ass Wipe, himself. You came to us seeking revenge for that. What happened to it?"

Ma Lir pulled away again, tearing skin away as he pulled out his claws. Wolf whimpered, but the spirit continued, walking around.

"You got hurt a few times? That's a fucking pathetic human excuse. One thing you and your weak human mind has never been able to understand is that sacrifices must be made. What's a few moments pain for the accomplishment of your goal?"

"That's not it," Wolf hissed. "I can deal with the pain."

"It isn't? Then what is?"

"I don't know."

"You gave up. That's what it is. You rolled over and died. You listen to people telling you what you can and can't do, and you fucking listened to them." Ma Lir had walked steadily closer. Irritated, the spirit punched his human counter part in the face.

Massaging his knuckles, Ma Lir turned and walked away again, muttering "I can't stand quitters." He got louder when a thought came to him. "I think I'm going to leave you and go make a pact with another stupid human. One that's stronger, more determined to reach the same goal."

Smirking, Ma Lir turned to face Wolf again. "Maybe I'll go talk to that kid you know. The one who's father attacked him and tried to kill him. There's gotta be some hate there. It's perfect leverage."

Wolf glared at Ma Lir. "Don't you dare."

"Wait, I think I'm missing something about that kid. Isn't he…the bastard's son? Yes, that's what it was. You did something right in befriending the son of the Fire Lord, Moltov. He already trusts you, so I can go to him like this. Well, more like you."

"Don't go near him, Ma Lir!"

"Going to stop me? Oh, I'd like to see that. If he doesn't want to support me, I suppose I could always ruin him, break his little human mind. I could even hold him ransom. Wait, his father tried to kill him. I'd be doing the prick a favor."

Ma Lir was just quick enough to avoid the punch Wolf threw. The spirit grabbed Wolf's shoulder and punched him hard in the ribs. Gasping for breath, Wolf slumped to the ground.

"You almost had it there. Tell you what, I'll leave you here for a while. I need to stretch my legs."

"Where are you going, Ma Lir?" Wolf demanded.

"Out."

"You go near Zuko, or the other two, and I'll kill you."

"That's not going to happen. I was just thinking I'd do a little sight seeing. A little scouting, actually. There might be a Waterbender who would serve me better, who knows? Now, stay here like a good little human." Ma Lir was about to walk off when Wolf called out to him.

"Wait. Don't leave me in the darkness."

"Are you scared of it?" the spirit laughed. "No. I told you the first time, I'd let you stay here. That is, of course, if you can manage it."

Ma Lir continued walking, laughing. As the wolf left, the moon sunk below the horizon.

"No!" Wolf shouted, looking around. "No, Ma Lir!"

Slowly, the light faded entirely, and the world Wolf was in went black.

……………

"Just where do you think you're going, Wolf?" Iroh asked.

Ma Lir froze at the voice, forgetting that he wasn't alone. He had been so close to slinking out the door undetected. Discovering the human's pain sensation had been a surprise when he had woken up, but he had gotten used to it. It still pissed him off that he couldn't run freely like he wanted to, being forced to limp around with a stickm, but it was better than nothing.

Ma Lir turned to face Iroh, who was seated by the small chess pieces on the table, shuffling through and attempting to translate Wolf's notes on the game.

Apparently, another chore was going to be attempting to act like the pathetic human so he could sneak around better. "I was just going out for a bit."

"You've been sleeping for a day and a half straight. I don't think that's a good idea."

Ma Lir was tempted to punch the old man's face into pulp, but that wasn't something the pathetic human would do, so he wasn't allowed. Plus he felt the presence of two other humans that would most likely hear and things would go to hell from there. Instead, he replied lightly, "I think the fresh air will do me some good."

"You might be right." Iroh glanced up. He nodded his head. "Don't strain yourself too much. Try to make it back in an hour."

"Sure." Congratulating himself on his performance, Ma Lir headed out the door.

Jin slunk into the room. "Is Wolf up?"

"Apparently so."

"Something's not right about this."

"That wasn't Wolf."

"It looked just like him. I don't get it."

"Leave it be, Jin," Zuko advised, walking up behind her.

"Zuko," Jin whined.

"I'll follow him in a minute," Iroh promised.

"I wanna go to."

Iroh shook his head. "You two stay here in case Wolf comes back."

"Wait, is it Wolf or not?"

"That Wolf won't come back on his own. Our Wolf might if he comes to."

"Oh. This doesn't make any sense."

"I know."

"What about me, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"You can stay here and make sure Jin stays out of trouble. And…maybe keep her entertained enough so that she doesn't flood us with tea again."

Jin smiled, trying to hide her embarrassment. Zuko put a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, Uncle."

Iroh nodded, standing with a groan. _I'm getting to old for this_, he thought as he set off to follow the Wolf look alike.

……………

Ma Lir was enjoying his freedom. He had been walking around the Water Tribe, checking out its inhabitants for two hours. The wolf could feel the human's body getting tired, but his spirit was too alive and eager to move to care.

He was getting hungry, though, and he thought about returning back to the human's place. Ma Lir was reluctant to do that, since it would also entail pretending to be the human again.

"Hey, Wolf!" a small voice called.

Ma Lir ignored it, partially forgetting that he was being Wolf, and partially not caring. A little boy ran up, smiling and laughing. He looked confused at being so pointedly ignored, so he latched on to Ma Lir's pant leg and tugged at it. The cold look that the child received caused him to shrink back a little. Being young, it didn't faze him long.

"Hey, Wolf, wait up," the kid called, following. "You know, Mommy decided that you weren't bad. You see, I told her that story that you told us, only I left out a lot of it, because I couldn't really remember all of the details. And I changed the ending a little, because I don't think Mommy would have liked the end that you said. She was mad at me for going against what she wanted, but this time when Papa said that it was ok, she said it was too.

"Then I told her about how you were walking funny because you got hurt, and she said that she could take a look at it. My mommy's a healer and all, so…you can go see her if you want."

"Kid, let me ask you something. Do you have a death wish or something?" Ma Lir growled, glaring down at the little boy.

The kid stopped, hunkering down slightly. "A death wish? I don't really think I know what that is, I don't think I have it."

"Then keep the hell away from me."

Ma Lir turned quickly away from the little pest. The little boy sat and pondered what a "the hell" was. Unable to figure it out, he sat and started to cry.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder, and the boy looked into the kind old face of Wolf's friend.

"Now, now Shiro. There's no need to cry," Iroh soothed.

"But…but…Wolf said that I had to stay away unless I had a death wish. And…And…what's a 'the hell'?"

"It will be all right. That was not Wolf who was talking."

"If it's not Wolf, who is it? It looked just like him. Where's Wolf?"

"The real Wolf is sleeping right now," Iroh barely avoided pausing to think. "What was just talking to you was an evil monster that takes the form of people we know. It's a very bad monster, but do not worry. I can take care of it."

"You'll take out a monster?" the boy exclaimed, all thoughts of tears evaporating. "Cool! Can I watch?"

"That would not be a good idea. If the monster sees you when I 'take it out', and then it might take the shape of your mother or father and torment you. I cannot allow that."

"Aw. Ok. You teach that monster a lesson for acting like Wolf," the little kid punched the air, excited, and ran off.

Iroh watched the kid leave, a wistful expression in his eyes. He shook his head sadly before going after his main goal.

"Wolf," Iroh called. He allowed a small bit of anger into his voice.

Ma Lir turned an angered glare to the person who had called him. The kid had pissed him off. He didn't feel like even pretending to be that human any more. "What do you want, old man?"

"I wanted to talk with you."

"Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you? What do you think about that?"

"What did you do to Wolf?"

"What do you mean? What, you don't know his history or something? That sucks for you."

"That would mean that you are the wolf spirit that possessed him."

"That took a lot of brain power to figure out."

"Give him back."

"Hm…" Ma Lir put on a thoughtful façade. He glared back and seriously continued, "No. Why don't you try and make me?"

Iroh walked up to Wolf's counterpart and punched him right below the ribs. Ma Lir wouldn't have felt the blow if it had been a normal human, but Iroh had had dealings with the other world before. That small bit of experience was enough. Ma Lir felt his control slipping and finally, he lost it completely.

……………

Wolf had been dozing in the darkness. He didn't know how long he had been there. The darkness was eternal, and it could go on forever. It was an endless time of lying around in the darkness, waiting for something to happen.

Wolf felt something familiar cut through the darkness and was surprised. It was a person he knew. He sat up to get a better look. Slowly the darkness started to lighten and Wolf could see a shape moving towards him.

So, Wolf called out, addressing the shape as the person he had felt. "Iroh?"

This got a snap of a laugh out of the shape. Wolf's world grew brighter, and he saw Ma Lir walking towards him. "What the hell do you think?"

"Ma Lir," Wolf corrected himself.

Ma Lir gave his human counterpart a strange look. He was used to hearing a pathetic human talk to him. This time, Moltov almost seemed confident. Ma Lir could find no way to contend with it, was even unsure if the confidence was even there, so he brushed it off. "Damn, that old man punches hard," Ma Lir muttered, turning away from Wolf.

"Iroh?" Wolf asked.

"Hell if I know. Humans suck. It's not my job to keep track of them."

They were silent for a while.

"Hey, Ma Lir, I was thinking," Wolf started.

Ma Lir turned to glare slightly at Moltov. "What the hell were you thinking about?"

"In the darkness, I had plenty of time to think. I thought about what you said, about the Avatar. You were right."

"Damn straight I was."

Wolf ignored Ma Lir's prideful statement. "You said I just gave up. You were right. I did. I realized that. Now, I don't want to give up."

"Now you're acting all heroic. That's sickening."

"I'm not trying to be a hero. I just don't want to disappoint the people that are close to me. My pack."

Ma Lir made a disgusted face. "Now you're using terms I know. That's even more sickening."

"I want to go back, Ma Lir." Wolf stood, keeping his eyes on Ma Lir.

Ma Lir whipped around, growling. "You think simple words are enough to convince me that you've changed? I know humans well enough to know they don't mean what they say. They don't change just like that."

"I'm ready to continue what I was doing. I will fulfil your goal to take down the Fire Lord."

"I don't think you can hack it!" Ma Lir snapped. He lashed out with his claws as well as the words, catching the human across the chest. As the human fell forward, he turned. That didn't feel as good as it had earlier. What was wrong with him?

Wolf took a few seconds, contending with the pain. When he finally had it under control he stood up again. "Listen Ma Lir. I will do what we decided I would. I will."

"Yeah, right," Ma Lir bit back without turning.

"What is it that you really want?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's not just about the Fire Lord. You want something."

"Why the hell do you care. Go back to being a selfish human, Moltov."

"What's going on with you?"

Ma Lir turned to face his human counter part, glaring slightly. "I don't know. There's something wrong with me. I want to go back to my world. I want to be able to be with my pack. How come I'm stuck here alone?"

"You're…feeling lonely. Lonely and maybe even a little jealous."

"The hell? Humans feel. That's not me."

"It's all right to feel, Wolf Spirit."

"Don't wanna," Ma Lir turned.

"Well, I don't want to stay here. Let me go back to my pack. Please Ma Lir. I miss them."

"Let you go so you can run off and do your own thing?"

"No. I'll go up against the Avatar if I have to, but I will see to the demise of the Fire Lord."

"You can't go up against anything with your knee so screwed up."

"What? Where'd…"

"Don't think I didn't notice that. Walking sucked. You can't transform with that kind of problem, or you fuck it up more."

"I know that."

"That one kid said his mom didn't hate you anymore. Go see her and get it fixed."

"Ma Lir…"

"You'd better leave now before I change my mind." Ma Lir gestured off to the direction he had come from. "Just remember, if you fail, I'm going to kill you."

"Thank you."

"Keh."

Wolf took off in the direction the Wolf Spirit had indicated. A bright light surrounded him slowly. Wolf closed his eyes against it so he wouldn't be blinded.

……………

Wolf opened his eyes and was greeted by darkness. He panicked; convincing himself Ma Lir had gone back on his word. Wolf struggled to free himself of the oppressing darkness.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. Easy."

Wolf froze. "Iroh?"

"Yes. I am here."

Wolf fell towards the voice. His hand made contact with resistance, with cloth over human. "Iroh, you're real." Wolf left his hand on Iroh's shoulder and sagged against it.

"Yes, Wolf."

"Thank goodness. I was so scared."

Iroh recalled a night when Lu Ten had done something a lot like this. He patted Wolf's shoulder, just as he had done those long years ago, and murmured the same consolidations. "There is nothing wrong with being scared of the dark."

"I'm not scared of the dark. I'm not even scared of what's in it. I'm scared that there is _nothing_ in it. When I'm there, I'm scared of becoming nothing myself."

"It will be all right."

"Yeah. I know."

"Welcome back, Wolf."

"Yeah. I'm back." They were quiet for a moment until Wolf spoke again. "Thanks Iroh."

Iroh didn't reply. Wolf fell asleep where he was, and Iroh resituated him so that he could sleep comfortably. Iroh watched Wolf sleep for a moment. He was deeply reminded of Lu Ten. It was a depressing thought. He turned and left the room.

"Is everything all right, Uncle?" Zuko asked. He was standing to one side of the door.

"Yeah. Is it really Wolf this time?" Jin asked from the other side.

"Yes. I believe everything will be fine."

……………

……………

Chapter 16 – END

……………

……………

AN: Ok, well this chapter was darkish. I know that the way Wolf acts in the last part of the chapter seems really out of character for him, but I dunno. It happens.

I forgot to warn people of Ma Lir's language problem. It doesn't have a lot of revelance to the plot, so I decided not to put it in, but as a lazy spirit creature, he gets to look at different worlds. Ma Lir enjoys watching a world kind of like ours, and he caught on to the language. He enjoys using it in the story because people don't understand it, so it annoys them. Sorry for that!

Anyway, the next chapter will be a little lighter, so you have that to look forward to!

Please, people, if you read it, please just drop in a little review! I'll give cookies! Just tell me if you like it. Ok, I'll stop now.

AN: END

……………


	17. Chapter 17

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 17

Wolf walked out of the room. The three resting on the couch looked up and watched as he walked towards the kitchen.

Jin leapt up, hurrying over. "Let me get something started. It'll just be a moment."

Wolf smiled slightly. "Thanks Jin."

Jin smiled. "No problem." As she hurried into the kitchen, she was assuring herself. Wolf was back. And his eyes are gold. Not blue like the other Wolf had.

"Do you need help?" Wolf asked, taking a step towards the kitchen.

"No!" Jin exclaimed. She repeated it quietly. "No…just…go sit with the others."

Wolf sat down with the other two. They were watching him closely, he could feel it. "I'm sorry," he mumbled without looking at them.

"There is nothing to apologize for," Iroh replied quietly.

"I did something stupid. I shouldn't have said some things…So, I'm sorry."

"Wolf…"

"And for whatever I did the other day…"

"That wasn't you. You don't need to apologize for the wrongdoing of others."

Wolf looked up at Iroh, confused. "But…"

"Stop it, Wolf," Zuko cut in.

Wolf looked at Zuko to find the young man look away. Was Zuko ashamed to be around him now? He looked down.

_Maybe now would be a good time to tell them your plan_, Ma Lir hissed in Wolf's mind.

_Since when did you offer up advice?_

_Since I've been awake, damn it. Now tell them!_

_I'm telling them about you. That you're telling me to do that._

Yeah, I'd like to see their reaction. Our poor little Wolf's gone crazy. He's a fricken psychopath! Haha.

Wolf leaned back casually. "So, I was thinking."

Zuko looked back, cautious. The sudden change in Wolf's emotions just didn't seem right.

"What were you thinking about?" Iroh asked.

"Maybe…Maybe I will go after the Avatar. We are after the same goal, right? Maybe I won't though. I'm not really sure yet."

Jin chose that moment to pop into the room with the food. She set it down in front of Wolf with a flourish. "Eat up."

Iroh reached over to snatch a piece, but Jin smacked his hand. "Wolf hasn't eaten anything for two days. Let him eat," she scolded.

Iroh rubbed his hand. "I just wanted a little bit. I haven't had good food for a while."

"That was sent for Wolf, not you."

"Who sent it?"

Jin looked at Iroh. Iroh avoided eye contact. He didn't want to answer that one. Zuko shook his head quickly when Jin looked to him for help. "Some…girl. I don't know her, but she said her name was Yue. She said she'd heard what happened and hoped you would be better soon, and that these things…she called them 'sushi', and said they were made out of fish… that they're good for you, and you should eat them when you woke up. Because it's so cold, they keep really well."

Wolf smiled weakly. Jin was rambling. That was just what she always did. Everything was going to be fine. "I'll have to thank her before we leave."

Suddenly, the door flew open. A white shape hurried in with small snow flurries. The figure turned quickly, shutting the door behind her.

She turned, smiling. "Good morning Wolf. I see you are up. I wanted to talk with you and your friends."

"We were just talking about you, Princess Yue. Thanks for the sushi thingies. They're pretty good."

"Wolf, that's not what I'm here for, but I am glad that you like them. We have a small problem…"

"Princess Yue, if there is something you need, tell us. Stop being royalty for a minute and come out and say it. Don't avoid the topic with flowery words," Wolf ordered lightly.

"All right. We have a Fire Nation ship coming this way."

……………

……………

Chapter 17- END

……………

……………

A/N: Ok, it's really short. Sorry about that! I just wanted to cut it here because it could be a kinda cliff hanger.


	18. Chapter 18

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 18

The Water Tribe set up a big meeting in the large speaking hall. All of the warriors were there, and made up the majority of the group assembled. The diplomats and highest- ranking Waterbenders, including Master Paku, were lined up on either side of the Tribe's Chief and the royal family. There was also a large handful of civilians who were worried about the state of their nation or loved one. The Firebenders and Jin had their backs to a wall off to the side. A large circle had formed around them. Many of the Water Tribe would send accusing glares towards them. At first, Jin had glared back and thrown comments at them, but eventually, all of them just ignored them.

The room was loud with talk. Everyone was talking about what it was the Fire Nation could possibly want from them, how could they possibly stand up to them, and most importantly, how could the Fire Nation find them?

Jin on the other hand, was hardly affected by the presence of a Fire Nation ship. "I can't believe that Yue is a princess. Why didn't you tell me, Wolf? I mean, it was kind of obvious, because she was really beautiful and she acted so regal, but I didn't think anything of it when she brought us that food. I guess I just don't know Water Tribes well."

After a while, the King stood. Everyone fell silent immediately. "The time is upon us," the Chief started. "We have been found and are being dragged into the war. It is only one ship, but there may be more! We cannot let these enemies escape us, for if we do, there will be more.

"They will not show us mercy. They will be upon us before midday and they will not stop until the sun sets. They will use the sun to their advantage, and ruin our chances. In order to win, we need a plan. With a good strategy, we can win. Wolf!"

"Yes?" Wolf asked, surprised, stepping forward.

_What does he want?_ Ma Lir grumbled.

"You know tactics that the Fire Nation may use against us. What do you think we should do?"

_Oh, this is good. He's asking you for advice? What makes him think you aren't the reason the ship is here?_

Wolf opened his mouth to speak, but someone spoke out.

"Wait!" a young man called, stepping forward. He was dressed like a warrior. A stern gaze outlined his pale blue eyes. His brown hair framed his face. "How do you know we can trust them? They are Fire Nation."

"Han, you wish to go against my judgement?"

"I don't think they can be trusted. We have never had problems with Fire Nation until they came here. They probably led them here." He pointed an accusing finger towards the four.

"If we led them here, why are they choosing now to attack. It would have been better to do it earlier," Jin was glaring at the boy as she spoke loudly.

"Unless their General ordered them to stand back until further notice, just to avoid such a suspicion."

"If you are suggesting that I am a General, you are wrong. I am no longer associated with the Fire Nation," Iroh replied calmly, albeit a little defensive.

"Prove it. Where's your mark?"

"Watch it, kid," Wolf growled warning.

Han stepped forward. "Are you going to try and make me?"

"Silence!" the Chief shouted. The boy slunk back, huffing. "I trust Wolf. Therefore, I trust those that he calls friends. I want them to lead this fight."

"What?" Han shouted indignantly.

The chief looked coolly at him. The boy looked down, slightly embarrassed. "As you wish, Chief."

_Ha Ha!_ Ma Lir laughed, cheering. _Eat that you little snot!_

Wolf pulled back to his small group and asked quietly, "You guys want a little fun?"

"What are you talking about? Of course!" Jin exclaimed in the low tone.

Zuko nodded eagerly.

"I know your definition of fun. I think I know where you're going. You want us to fight. That works for me. We all need to stretch out legs," Iroh reasoned.

"All right." Wolf turned back to the king, smiling. "I would like it if you would let the four of us take care of them."

"He's just saying that so he can go join with his companions!" Han hissed.

"You think those outside are my companions. I would shut my mouth if I were you." Wolf glared daggers at the kid. He shook it off and turned to look at the rest of the warriors that apparently shared the boy's ideas.

"Where's the harm in letting us take care of this? If we are Fire Nation spies, you would just be fighting four more than you already will have to face. But, what if we aren't? It would be our blood being spilt, not any of your Water Tribe's. Even if we loose, and the four of us die, you will be able to defeat what's left with little cost to your families."

A few of the by standers cheered. Princess Yue stood. "You can't do something like that. It's suicide!"

Wolf smirked. "We're better than that, Princess. Trust me."

"I see no down side to this. Wolf makes a very valid point. We will accept his proposal."

More people cheered.

The chief continued. "I want five of the warriors and our Benders to stay here. Everyone else, pull the women and children back away from the walls."

Everyone hurried to do as the king commanded. Angered by the proposal, Han turned and stormed off, taking some of the best and most loyal warriors with him.

"We have an hour to plan before we need to start acting. It will be about three hours until the ship arrives," one of the side diplomats muttered as Wolf and his group got closer.

"It's simple," Wolf stated confidently. "You guys have the edge in position. Here's what I think we should do."

……………

It only took a half hour for Wolf to get his plan across. The king let them go to work on making final preparations. Things wouldn't take long.

Wolf left the audience hall and started drifting off to set about on his own, private preparations.

"Wolf, where are you going?" Iroh asked from behind him, warning in his tone.

Wolf stopped. "Out," he replied, a question forming. Was it all right for him to give that response, or was it the same kind that Ma Lir had used?

"Out to where?"

"Iroh, do I have to tell you everything?"

"You tell me Wolf."

_What the hell is up with the old man? He acts as if you're not trustworthy_, Ma Lir laughed.

_Whose fault is that?_ Wolf shot back.

"I'm going to see a friend. I'll be back in a bit, I think. It shouldn't take too long."

"A lady friend?" Iroh asked, smiling.

Wolf shrugged. Iroh frowned, pouting. "Fine. Don't tell me."

"All right. I wont. Watch after Zuko and Jin for me please."

"They don't need looking after," Iroh replied, exasperated.

"I know. Just wanted to make sure," Wolf turned and started off.

_Why didn't you tell that old fart where we're going?_

_He doesn't need to know._

_That's so unlike you, Moltov._

_I need to work quickly if this is going to work. _

_If that's your excuse, fine._

Wolf wasn't far from the place when he ran into Shiro.

"Wolf, I was waiting for you," the boy exclaimed, excited. "I was watching the whole thing. My dad's one of the warriors who wanted to go with you. Are they going with you? If so, I hope my dad helps you out. It would make me happy."

Wolf ruffled the child's hair. "I hope he does too. But right now, I need your help. The other day, you said that your mother was a healer, right. Can you take me to see her?"

Shiro's eyes widened. "You mean it? Yeah, come on. Let's go." He grabbed Wolf's hand and started pulling. "Mom went home as soon as the meeting was over. She looked sad for some reason. I think she's scared that Dad wont come home. But, I'm not. Not really. He'll be there with you, right? So there's nothing to be scared of. Mom told me to go play, but I had a feeling that you might have wanted something. You know, though, I don't live that far away. We're almost there."

_Damn can that kid talk! Why do you let him do that?_

A few minutes later, they had arrived. Shiro opened the door quietly and pulled Wolf inside before shutting the door and heading into the house. "Mommy! I'm home!"

Wolf followed the kid into the kitchen where the mother was standing by the water basin with her back to them. She brought her hands up out of sight, appearing to touch her eyes before turning, a happy expression on her face. "Shiro, welcome back sweetie. Did you have fun?"

"I brought Wolf here to see you!" he exclaimed.

The woman looked up mistrust in her gaze. She walked up to Wolf, scrutinizing him carefully. Wolf watched her do so levelly. Her gaze softened slightly.

She turned and started tidying up the kitchen, turning to look at Wolf as she talked with cold tones. "My name is Emiko. You play with Shiro, right? Play that War with him, and tell him stories. I've heard about all that. Now, what do you want?"

"I just wanted a little help. If I can do anything for your people, I need to move quickly. I can't do that right now."

"Why not?"

Shiro broke into the conversation. "Mommy, I thought I told you! Wolf's hurt. That's why he told us stories. Help him Mommy, please!"

"Go play on your own for a while," the mother suggested.

"All right, Mommy," moping at having been turned out, the boy trudged out side.

"You're taking care of us, aren't you?"

"I guess you can say that," Wolf replied with a small nod.

"You will protect my husband, won't you?"

"He won't be involved if I can help it. I can't tell you too much, but worse comes to worse, he will be."

"I see."

"I need your help to make sure that that doesn't happen."

Emiko sighed and turned to look at him again. "Where are you hurt? Wait, I can see a little. You use that staff because you hurt your leg. Fighting? Well, that's a stupid question."

"My knee, to be exact."

She knelt by him to touch the injured area. "You messed this up really bad," she muttered half to herself. "I don't think I want to know how. You should have seen a healer before this."

"Can you help me?"

She stood and went back to the sink. "I can, but it will take a while."

"I have time."

Emiko pulled a smaller bucket out of the larger basin and filled it with water. She grabbed a small rag and motioned for Wolf to follow. She went into another room and motioned to a mat. "Sit."

Wolf sat and leaned his back against the wall. The mother took the staff and set it by the door. She knelt by Wolf's side. "Roll your pants leg up."

_What the hell's her problem? She could be a little less bitchy,_ Ma Lir commented as Wolf obeyed. _How come you didn't even tell me that you were actually gonna stop being stupid and gonna go see a healer?_

When Wolf had finished, the woman took a small bubble of water out of the bucket. She manipulated it over and put it on Wolf's knee. The cold water sunk through his skin, making it glow a faint blue as she worked her craft. It burned slightly.

Emiko was looking carefully through half lidded eyes, concentrating. The glow subsided. "I see. You tore all of the ligaments in your knee."

_Good one. How'd you manage that one?_

"The what?"

"You never studied anatomy?"

"Nope. I just learned where to attack."

"Typical Fire Nation," the woman muttered below her breath. She turned back to the water. "This is going to make this more complicated. I can't completely heal it, but I can set it on the right track. Give it a week without to much movement, and they will be almost as good as new."

Using her Waterbending skills, Emiko pulled another bubble out. Wolf noticed that this one was almost half a size larger than the other one. "I'm going to start the healing process now."

Wolf nodded. The water covered her hand, enveloping it in a watery glove. Emiko brought her hand to Wolf's knee again and started touching it gently, massaging the healing water in. Wolf closed his eyes. For some reason, he had thought that healing was supposed to heal pain, not make it worse.

"Hey, is this supposed to hurt?" Wolf asked.

"It's because your Fire Nation," Emiko replied quickly. Before Wolf could deny the fact, she continued. "Our elements are polar opposites. Even when we weren't at war, Waterbenders rarely healed Firebenders. We can heal Earth Kingdom people quite easily. I guess it's kind of how plants work, or something. Not that I've seen any, but the teacher said that. The pain is the reaction between opposites."

"Is that why you hate me and told your son not to see me? Because I'm Fire Nation by blood?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm glad. You're prejudice against Fire Nation in general, not just me."

……………

……………

Chapter 18 – END

……………

……………

A/N: OK, maybe I should have connected chapter 17 and 18, but I didn't feel like it. Now, I am officially ending it at 20 chapters. Action will finally be in the next chapter! I haven't had a good action sequence in a long while, I blame it on Wolf's gimpy-ness. Any way, it'll be fun. Yay!


	19. Chapter 19

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 19

Wolf, Iroh, Zuko and Jin were standing in the middle of the ocean atop a decent sized ice burg. The five Waterbenders were on standby a good distance away. It was all part of Wolf's plan, incase things went wrong.

"It's really cold out here. I can't feel my hands. I might need them," Jin stated, shivering. They had all passed up the opportunity to wear any real Water Tribe attire, so they were standing wearing small bits of Water armor and their typical, lighter weighted attire.

Zuko sighed slightly and grabbed her hands. He wrapped them in his own and blew on them, a small Firebending technique.

"Thanks," Jin nodded when Zuko had finished.

Shortly after that, the Fire Nation ship was spotted as a black dot on the horizon. Slowly, it grew in size until the members of the ice burg committee could actually tell it was a ship. It continued to become more distinguishable and in several hours, leaving it at about midday, the ship was close. There were several soldiers on deck, spears in hand, watching and waiting.

As it neared the four, the engines shut off and it started drifting nearer off of the built up force.

"What are they doing?" Wolf asked Iroh quietly.

"I believe they think we may be stranded and may wish to aid us."

"Cute. Are they really Fire Nation?"

"I have no doubt. We probably look like we're from the Fire Nation, so they want to care for their kin."

"Amazing. Some Fire Nation can still be human and loyal to the Fire Lord."

The ship reached a few yards distance from their ice block. It started to apply the breaks.

It was then that the Waterbenders acted. As a group, they brought their arms back and then brought them forward and up. A small wave formed, climbing up the ship's side and freezing onto it. They repeated the move twice more and the ship was completely stuck.

A panic could be heard on the deck. Most of the soldiers on guard ran for the lower deck. An older man showed up on the bow, surveyed the area, and, with a panicked expression on, hurried back out of sight.

The Waterbenders continued their work, though the movements were smoother, more constructed. When they were done, there was a nice little pathway that went from the iceberg, across the water, and up the side of the vessel.

"All right! Let's go!" Jin started up the path at a brisk speed. Zuko followed to keep an eye on her.

Iroh and Wolf followed the couple, a little slower.

"There are easily thirty soldiers on board one of these," Iroh stated.

"Thirty's a good number. Not overly high, but low enough to let us stretch our legs."

"Thirty is a nice work out for three of us."

"You're going to ruin all of Jin's fun after she's been working so hard?"

"No. Wolf, I believe it would be best if you hold back."

"What?!"

"You haven't fully healed yet."

"I got it taken care of."

"But it still isn't healed, is it? Don't think I don't pay attention. I can tell by the way you walk that it isn't healed yet."

"Iroh…" Wolf whined.

"Please Wolf. Guard their escape. Let us handle this. I don't know how far you trust us, but, please, let us prove that we can serve you."

"You order me and then act like I'm in charge. How does that work?"

"Will you let us do this Wolf?"

"Fine. Spoilsport," Wolf finished under his breath.

Wolf and Iroh gained the deck of the vessel. Jin and Zuko were standing over three unconscious soldiers.

"Where are the rest of them?" Iroh asked.

"When we got up here, they tried to attack us. So, we took out those three, and the rest ran down below. I think they may be a little weak, and they didn't want to mess with us," Jin replied.

"See, Wolf. Not worth your time."

"I'm not that good, Iroh."

"We will be going now. Make sure no one escapes."

"I know, I know," Wolf rolled his eyes and leapt lightly to sit on the rail of the iron ship.

Iroh, Jin and Zuko headed into a small door and disappeared into the darkness. In minutes, shouts could be heard. The battle sounded very fierce.

And Wolf sat on deck being bored.

_Maybe we should go lend them a hand,_ Ma Lir suggested. _It's so much better than sitting here, hoping that some one will come up here so we can eat them._

"What's that supposed to mean? You always say things like that. You can eat that person, you can eat this person. What does that mean."

_It's a spirit thing. You wouldn't understand. Now, let's go!_

At that time, a group of five soldiers came from the hatchway.

_Great timing. We were just coming to get you!_

Wolf hopped down from the rail, landing with a slight wince as he put weight on his right leg. _Still not good enough_.

The Fire Nation soldiers formed a half circle around Wolf, pointing their spears inward. They looked confident that they could best the crippled man. They attacked in a group.

Wolf brushed three of the spears back with his staff. The other two were a little more skilled, he noted. He stepped back to avoid, hitting the rail. Wolf brought his staff back around to guard against the final one.

The others recovered their stances and made to attack again. Wolf stepped forward. Two of them spooked and retreated several steps. They were smarter. Wolf brought his weapon around again and conked the stubborn one in the head, dropping him. The other novices were felled shortly after.

Wolf turned to face the other two and stepped down a little too much on his bad leg. While he was trying to compensate for the slip up, one of the other soldiers attacked. Thrown off guard, Wolf found himself on his back, holding the soldier off. His staff had been knocked away.

Wolf felt around, looking for something that would give him an upper hand. He discovered that it was really difficult to keep someone from choking you while looking for something to attack him with. Finally, he found a pouch from one of the unconscious soldiers. He slipped his hand inside and pulled out the first thing he could find. Wolf jammed that into his attacker's eye.

The soldier fell back, howling in pain. Wolf managed to keep hold of his newfound weapon. Curious, Wolf looked down to find that he held a spoon in his hand.

"How much damage can I do with a spoon?" Wolf muttered.

The final soldier shouted, leaping up to attack. Wolf looked up, startled. He had forgotten that there was one more. A blurred shape flew above Wolf's head and hit the soldier. The soldier fell over, blood flowing from a newly cut wound.

Wolf turned to see Jin, smiling slightly.

"I wondered where those guys got to," Jin commented.

Wolf stood. "Glad to see you Jin."

"Looked like you needed a little help."

"Yeah. Thanks." Wolf went to get his weapon back. He made to throw the spoon away, but Jin grabbed it.

"I'll take that."

"Go ahead. It's worthless. You can't kill people with a spoon."

Jin smiled one of those evil little smiles. "You don't have to kill a guy to make him regret things. I can have fun with this."

"What do you mean?" Wolf asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Spoon of Doom. A _Castrating_ Spoon of Doom."

Wolf stared at Jin blankly. The smile and those words were really creepy. He had never really expected something like that from her.

"Well, I'll be going. Maybe I'll get the same kind of reaction with the soldiers. If Zuko and Iroh haven't finished them all off yet, that is."

Jin went and disappeared back below deck.

Wolf sat down, still stunned.

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In a matter of minutes, the ship's entire crew had either been knocked unconscious (there were only a few dead) or surrendered. Some had abandoned ship of their own accord, and had been gathered up by the Waterbenders. All of the Fire Nation soldiers had been gathered up and tossed into a couple holding cells in the underbelly of the ship. Jin volunteered for guard duty, and she waited below with her new spoon in hand. The soldiers were very well behaved once they heard the story of the spoon.

The Waterbenders went ahead of them to notify their chief that the Fire Nation ship was no under their control.

Wolf and his company made it back and were greeted by loud cheers and songs of praise. The chief himself personally welcomed them, and he spoke highly of them. He offered them anything within his power to give them, Wolf requested the ship they had taken over and supplies. They planned on leaving soon. The chief consented, offering more, but Wolf declined. Travel should be light. The chief offered up his daughter, saying she was light. Wolf laughed as he turned that down too.

The Fire Nation soldiers became prisoners of war to the Water Tribe.

Within the week, Wolf, Iroh, Zuko and Jin were back traveling. Two other ships went with them; a Water Tribe ship and the one Wolf had borrowed. Over the course of the journey, Wolf's knee healed fully. The three ships arrived at the boat lender's depot, and the Water Tribe left with both crews.

Wolf mentioned the fact that he had kept his promise to the ship Wright, who had been thrilled with the Fire Nation ship. Business could be done at any time now.

With that taken care of, Wolf and his pack set out on the journey to aid the Avatar.

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Chapter 19 – END

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	20. Chapter 20

Heart of the Wounded

Chapter 20 – Epilogue

The future is a story for a different day. There are many things that could happen, each as likely as the next.

A new banner will arise bearing a white, six-petaled flower on a red background. Under the banner, the rejected of all nations will gather to fight. It will eventually evolve so that being part of the Order of the Aconite would be just like saying one was a Fire Nation citizen, or part of the proud Earth Kingdoms. All that mattered was the desire for freedom and peace.

As to the leader, no one would know. The figure would be as tangible as a spirit, and just as wild and ruthless. Maybe there will be no appointed leader. The people may just do as they see fit, only collaborating with others like themselves so as not to interfere with another's plan.

Somehow or another, the Fire Lord will fall. He has too many enemies to last any longer. The final fight will be one to see, and few will probably witness it. It is impossible at this point to tell who the combatants will be.

Wolf, Iroh, Zuko and Jin, their future has many branches. Zuko and Jin may go off on their own and start up a life together. Wolf could have been the one to start up the Order of the Aconite, with Iroh right at his side. Zuko and Jin may be right up there next to them, strategizing in the shadows, or even leading the order themselves.

Perhaps the small band will meet up with the Avatar, and join him in his quest. They do not know that the Avatar needs to master Firebending, but he does. They could teach the Avatar their arts. They may go as far as the final fight with the Fire Lord.

Who can really say what the future holds?

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Heart of the Wounded – END

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A/N: Heck yes! I'm done. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but I have finished a whole fanfic by working on it straight! First time for everything.

About the way it ended. 20 chapters is a good number, so I wanted to end it here. There probably wont be a sequel, because if there is, it'll probably turn out like half the other ones out there. So, that's why I ended it here, like I did, so that way it ends without going into too much. Imagination is wonderful.

Well, I hope anyone reading it all the way through has enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it…most of the time. Drop me a review telling me how you liked it, please. Feedback is important.


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